


Welcome Home

by rhapshie



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Amnesia, Angst with a Happy Ending, Drama, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-10
Updated: 2020-04-22
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:07:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 33,419
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23575135
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rhapshie/pseuds/rhapshie
Summary: Kagami wanted to forget about the stupid fight five years ago that made him lose his best friend, rival and part-time lover. They were just bratty kids with too much pride, after all.Aomine took it a bit too literally.
Relationships: Aomine Daiki/Kagami Taiga
Comments: 54
Kudos: 138





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've read so many great AoKaga fics and I had the urge to contribute. I wanna make a happy fic, but here I am. What a joke! ~~Yes, I wrote all this in a day because I was bored~~
> 
> Anyway, I was coming up with this concept while listening to Billie Eilish's Lovely, thought it fits the mood. Hope you guys enjoy~ it's my first fic of them and I haven't watched KnB in like 5 years, so sorry if I don't get the characterisation right! I'm really nervous about it :D

***

_Oh, I hope someday I'll make it out of here_  
_Even if it takes all night or a hundred years_  
_Need a place to hide, but I can't find one near_  
_Wanna feel alive, outside I can fight my fear_

***

Kagami and Aomine—the aces of Seirin and Touou respectively, were known to many as loud, brash and hotheaded players who would never stop bickering no matter if they were on or off the court. While their first _real_ match was akin to two wild animals clawing and tearing at each other without letting anyone stop them, their second one was arguably much worse. It put everyone on the edge of the seat as they saw these two starving beasts pounce at each other, backed with their own armies. Their basketball was a fire that threatened to burn anyone who wasn't prepared for it but served as a catalyst that ignited the dim embers of those who were even a little bit interested in the sport.

They were both crazy passionate about basketball—lived and breathed it. However, with passion, came strong opinions, and with strong opinions came the bickering. It didn't help that they were the most stubborn, stupidest people anyone had ever met. It didn't matter if one person found sense in the other's argument, they'd never back down because their pride wouldn't allow it. The 'man-pride', as Satsuki aptly and condescendingly put. It was an insult that Kagami and Aomine vehemently denied existed.

The real friction between them started after their second—well, technically third match. It didn't look like it at the time because they were just two naive, bumbling teenagers who didn't know any better. If they liked the idea of something, then they reached for it no matter the consequences. And in their defence, there wasn't anything _wrong_ or outright distasteful about how the event unfolded that day. In all variation of the timeline, they probably would've made the same decision, but how could they ever know what it would've led to?

Aomine never returned to the locker room for a debrief that day. While it wasn't something to frown at, considering how much practice the basketball idiot would skip, it was uncharacteristic for Aomine who had been religiously attending 'like a good boy' lately. The rest of his team weren't fazed, but of course, Satsuki was. She almost tore the very ground she stood on just to find Aomine, and even asked Kuroko and Kagami to help her look for the troublemaker.

In the end, Kagami found the blue piece of work dribbling idly behind the stadium. He wasn't doing anything in particular. There wasn't even a ring! He was just standing there solemnly, letting the rubber ball bounce against the asphalt and sometimes the wall. His eyes were dark and thoughtful, making Kagami frown before approaching his rival.

"You're gonna hurt your brain, thinking that much." Kagami all but slapped the back of Aomine's head, making him reflexively elbow the other in the face. "What's your problem, Aho!?" The redhead gripped his nose that he suspected might be broken. God, that hurt.

"That's my line! Don't sneak up on me like that! Serves you right," With a particularly strong throw, the ball rebounded off the wall into Aomine's palms. "Did Satsuki send you? Tell her to leave me alone for two seconds. God, I can't even piss without her aiming my dick for me." Aomine exaggerated as he passed at Kagami who immediately caught the ball.

"She's just worried because she knows that you'll probably get run over by some truck if she takes her eyes off you for a sec."

"Like you're not the same. That's why Tetsu always hounds you anyway, right?" Aomine caught the ball back, and for a few minutes, that was all they did until Kagami dribbled and started moving. His basketball instinct kicked in, and even though there was no hoop, they played. Well, it was mostly them trying to steal the ball from each other or trying to get past, but that was the fun part.

"God, you're smelly." Kagami laughed despite the aching on his legs. It had been an exhausting match, but he'd do it all over again in a heartbeat. Unlike him, Aomine hadn't even rinsed off. He was still in his jersey, all sweaty with his damp hair. His sweat glistened in the orange glow of the sunset, highlighting his beautiful bronze skin as they went head to head.

Kagami dribbled to the left, then he turned around, then to the right. The sound of the basketball hitting the pavement was music to their ears, and they both continued moving around each other fluidly. It was like a mesmerising dance fuelled with the hottest summer fire. Like they were two snakes circling and tangling, rapidly coiling around each other so they could land the finishing blow. It was times like these that made Aomine wonder why exactly he fell out of love with basketball at some point. It felt like a distant memory now.

For a long thirty seconds, they were locked in a stalemate. Their bodies lightly bumped at each other as their calf muscles rippled every time they abruptly halted their movements. It wasn't until Aomine grabbed the collar of Kagami's jacket and smashed their lips together did the ball roll on the ground. Two seconds. Kagami didn't even have a chance to realise what was happening before Aomine broke away, grabbed the ball and ran past him. The asshole had the audacity to bark out laughter and spun the ball on his index finger as if that was the plan all along.

"My win. See you later, Bakagami." Aomine's expression didn't change even though Kagami stood there with his mouth wide open.

"Wait!" The redhead finally said, but his rival was already nowhere to be found. It was a reaction probably two minutes too late, but it didn't stop him from touching his lips where Aomine's had been. "What the hell, idiot..." It was most likely a spur of the moment thing because he'd be lying if he said that after every basket they scored, he didn't have the urge to pin Aomine against the wall and make out with him. The Touou ace's skill was criminally sexy.

For both of them, basketball and love were synonymous. A good game got their blood pumping like they were high on some drug. Kagami had cooled down—sobered up. Aomine probably hadn't. Yeah, that must be it, Kagami assured himself. When they met again next, it would be like this never happened.

Well, he said one thing but his heart hoped for another. For the rest of the night, he couldn't tear his mind away from Aomine and how it would be dating the boobs-obsessed-freak. The kiss... wasn't unpleasant. In fact, Kagami wanted to do it again, maybe for longer than two seconds this time.

After their next one-on-one, it was Kagami's turn to kiss Aomine.

In the next one, it was Aomine's.

In the one after, it was Kagami's.

Slowly, it became a game until one day, without them realising, Kagami was on his knees sucking Aomine's soul out of his dick behind the bush.

Then suddenly, Aomine was balls deep inside Kagami in the next one.

Neither of them ever commented on it, though. They were content spending time sleeping over, fucking each other senseless and acting like they were an old married couple, with how they split up the chores at Kagami's place. Aomine's shirts began to stack until Kagami had to migrate a part of his wardrobe to accommodate for Aomine's clothes and Aomine one day showing up with three suitcases full of his belongings that he immediately dumped in the bedroom, claiming that it was easier to get to Touou from there even though it was a good six-kilometres additional travel time. At some point, they just... started living together. It was surreal.

He remembered Seirin crashing into their place without his knowledge to celebrate Kagami's birthday while he was away. They walked in to Aomine only in his underwear, watching NBA on the TV, onigiri in his mouth and they all froze. Only Kuroko waved at his friend and acted like nothing was amiss. Like there wasn't a used condom and an empty bottle of lube in the kitchen trash bin and how that apron was stained with dried, flakey white liquid.

But even then, Aomine refused to admit that they were dating. Because that was _gay_ and he certainly wasn't gay. No one believed him, of course.

Or maybe the time they'd made out in their usual court, unaware of Kuroko who had been sitting there for the past five minutes, watching his best friends sucking each other's faces off. When they came about, they wiped their mouths and looked away, muttering something about how it was an 'accident' and that it wasn't 'what it looks like'.

Everyone knew they were together, they loved each other to a fault—be it their basketball skills or how strangely well they got along, but most of them never said anything about it. Their teammates figured that one day, they'd finally admit of being a thing and that would be the end of it. They'd laugh it off and say 'we saw it coming'.

Because this was the norm for the two basketball idiots. They'd wake up next to each other, had breakfast together and took morning showers together. They'd leave at the same time, attend school, attend basketball practice, play one-on-one, had dinner, had baths together, watched the TV, had sex and then sleep. Rinse and repeat for the next six months. Oh, and when asked what their relationship was, they certainly weren't dating.

And why the next six months in particular, one might wonder. Well, the answer was simple. They were both stupid, hormonal teenagers who didn't know any better. They fell too hard too quickly, so it was no wonder once the rug was pulled from under them, they didn't have anything to hold on to. It didn't help that their stubbornness was known far and wide, so when they fought—not bicker, they _fought_. Their stupid 'man-pride' wouldn't allow them to admit they did something wrong and apologise.

In hindsight, it all could've been avoided had they been more willing to admit that they _might_ have a budding romantic affection and that this whole arrangement wasn't just a friends-with-benefits kinda thing. But really, which one of them would ever admit to such _weakness_? The short answer was none. They both stubbornly held their heads high up, refusing to look down even when everyone around them told them to.

_I'm not going to lose._

_I'm not going to lose._

But that was five years ago, and the book had already been closed.

In the end, they both lost.

.

There was no getting used to the camera flash and the lines of paparazzi piling up, ready to drown their target. Police officers had to constantly push them back with their rigid bodies. If not for them, who knew what would've happened to these poor celebrities. As their target slowly emerged from the building, their voices became louder. They asked question after question, not caring if they were coherent or not among the other hundreds that followed.

Such was the life for NBA rising star, Kagami Taiga. He hated the attention when all he wanted to do was play basketball against strong opponents. So, the only thing he could do was scowl and try to walk away as quickly as possible. Thankfully, his teammates picked up his slack by being damn charismatic, so most of the time he could say nothing and get away with it. It wasn't like he disliked being interviewed, it was just some of these guys were nosy as all hell, asking questions about things that weren't related to basketball. Who cared about the amount of food he ate, seriously!?

"Whoa, uptight, uptight!" His teammate put his hand around Kagami's shoulders playfully and squeezed as they walked down the street with the clamours of paparazzi surrounding them. "Come on, you can afford to smile a little, Mr Power Forward, especially after that stunt you pulled earlier!" The small forward named Clive grinned. His hair was dyed platinum-blonde and shaved on one side. He was truly the most charismatic out of the bunch.

"Where did you learn something crazy like that? I've never seen anything like it." The team captain, Kye, remarked, equally impressed as he emulated what Kagami did just an hour ago where he lobbed the ball so close to the line, parallel to the backboard. From his _back_.

"Eeeh," The redhead simply brushed it off with a shrug. "Something I learned in Japan. It's no big deal." Except it was, but like hell if he'd let anyone see that.

"It was cool, though! Everyone went ballistic. Did you see how coach just stood there like his jaw was about to hit the floor? He looked so funny." Clive insisted on the topic even after they got on the bus. "But knowing Taiga, it's probably just a fluke."

"Whaddya mean, 'knowing me'!?" Kagami became defensive, a reaction that his teammates were used to. Instead of apologising, they all laughed. "But I'm serious when I said it wasn't that impressive." He mumbled so quietly, no one heard it. The vehicle was started soon enough, and they drove towards the nearest pub to grab some post-match grub.

Everyone was so lively that day after their slim victory against their nemesis, and it wasn't a surprise that everyone crowded Kagami because he was the one who basketed the ball right at the end, earning them the two points that they needed to win. His hair was ruffled so much by so many people, he thought he was getting some free massage. It took a few minutes before they all calmed down and for Kagami to feel his phone buzzing in his pocket.

_Congratulation, Kagami-kun._

It was Kuroko, still with his short messages. In response, Kagami typed up an equally short response because he knew his teammate would pick on him if he spent too long grinning on his phone. _'Is that your girlfriend?' 'Introduce us!' 'Stop smiling like a maiden in love, it's creepy!'_ Yes, just a simple thank you was enough. He'd have time to call his old teammate later, at the confine of his own place. No doubt that the others would be there too. Hell, they probably watched his match together. It was something that never ceased to make Kagami feel warm all over. Good to know that even when not everyone played basketball anymore, they were still friends.

They ended up going to a high-class buffet to celebrate their victory and they almost ate the entire place, he swore. The waiters looked horrified to see a bunch of unnecessarily tall guys storming in, but they were well-behaved despite the occasional loud, muffled laughter. Kagami loved his team. It wasn't Seirin, but their passion for basketball was on par with them. The members were fun, personable, and Kagami thought of them as his own brothers.

Out of everyone, he was the closest with Clive. He had this easy-going attitude around him that was so easy to deal with. In a way, he reminded Kagami of Kise. Prettyboy, confident and kinda cocky at times. Actually, he promised that when Kagami flew to Japan next, he'd come with him just so he could play against this famous 'Generation of Miracle'. Well, they weren't famous internationally, but Clive knew all about them.

As if reading his mind, Clive peeked at Kagami's phone screen and said with his mouth full, "'s that Tetsuya? Say hi to him for me." Just as he said that, a video call was initiated by Riko, making Kagami but ultimately picked it up with a grumble. "Hiiii!" Clive was the first who greeted, taking the screen all to himself by pushing Kagami aside.

"Get off!" The redhead rebounded with his own shove. From the other end of the screen, he could see Riko and how everyone seemed to be snatching the phone around. It went from his old manager to Hyuga, Mitobe, Kuroko, Nigou, Izuki, Kiyoshi and the others until it finally rested on the table to show all of them. There was food all over the table and scattered beer bottles. Wait... was that Kise and Midorima passed out in the background?

"Hi, Kagami's friends!" Everyone else immediately crowded their power forward, waving wildly while still munching on their food.

"Will you guys let me _speak_ to my friends!?" Kagami growled but it had no bite to it, only frustration.

 _"That was a great match! You really haven't slacked off."_ Riko finally began, followed with Nigou barking in agreement. _"Hey, someone stop him!"_

 _"Nigou, no! That's Wagyu, that's too expensive! Your food is over there!"_ Hyuuga's panicked voice could be heard in the background as he and Mitobe tried to stop the little, now not-so-little rascal from doing whatever he pleased. The fluffball had overgrown the small jersey, he was now wearing a proper one. It was still too big for him, though.

_"That was impressive, Kagami-kun. I didn't expect you, of all people, to—"_

"Yeah, yeah," He quickly cut Kuroko off before the guy could say any more. He didn't need any more salt sprinkled on his wound after what he pulled. "It was a satisfying game, it really got me going!" The redhead feigned some degree of cheerfulness that didn't fool Kuroko. Instead of smiling back, the boy with pale complexion merely stared at the screen sadly before nodding.

 _"I'm happy that you are still playing and that you're enjoying it."_ He said softly. _"Kise-kun, stay down."_ The moment he said that, the blond who was trying his damnedest to crawl towards the phone gave up and sprawled on the floor once more. He must've had too much to drink.

The call lasted for about thirty minutes before Kagami hung up and they left the restaurant. Everyone was exhausted but joy triumphed over that. Basketball with good friends, life was perfect. Perfect. _Perfect_.

Except it wasn't.

Once the noise died down and Kagami was alone in his apartment, he kicked the ground in frustration. Why today, of all time? The redhead still had enough energy in him to tuck his shoes neatly and throw his socks in the laundry basket, but not enough to unload his bag. Instead, he sat on the small black couch in front of a flat-screen TV and leaned back.

That last shot he did, he learned from Aomine. How long had it been since that name lingered in his head? His friends had not mentioned him even once, probably because Kagami had never given them the chance to. Just when they were about to say it, he'd interrupt. After a while, everyone understood and left it alone. It had been three years since he last heard anyone say that name and about five months since he'd last thought of the other basketball idiot. People said time heals all wounds and while that was true, Kagami still didn't want to know what had become of him.

It certainly was that stupid 'man-pride' speaking. Aomine had made no attempt of contacting him, so why should he? Aomine didn't apologise, so why should he? Aomine mostly likely wasn't thinking of him or dunking when he should've freestyle, so why should he?

Regardless, it was just a silly teenage love. Looking back at it, was it even love at all? Perhaps just infatuation or the desire to experiment. At the end of the day, there was no changing the fact that they'd drifted apart, memories locked in a box and set in the corner.

But it wasn't always hopeless. Kagami believed that Aomine would also go pro, chase after him and then they could play against each other like they always did. Maybe they'd throw their heads back and laugh about how stupid their sixteen-years old selves were. They'd move back in together and start from zero. It was a pipe dream because Kagami believed that despite their constant screaming matches, those eight months he spent living with Aomine had been the best eight months in his life. Not only did he get a friend, but also a rival. To this day, he'd never met another like Aomine.

Sure, he was a pain in everyone's ass, but Kagami grew fond of his antics. The days where he didn't have that naggy boyish voice asking him for teriyaki burgers were lonely ones. Even though nowadays, he no longer missed the voice, he remembered being upset over it in the first couple of months they separated.

However, after five years of waiting, that belief faded away, along with any hopes of reconciliation.

They really were just two idiots who didn't understand anything except for basketball. So, if one of them gave up, what was left for them?

.

Kagami didn't know when he slept, but when he woke up accompanied by the chirping of birds, his back and neck killed him. He'd fallen asleep on the sofa like an idiot and he was about to pay the price. Good thing he was used to getting up early, so it was no surprise when he glanced at the clock, it was still 7:28 in the morning. Lazily, the power forward stretched his limbs and cleaned up the mess from last night. He took a nice shower, had twelve toasts slathered with butter and some bacon, then he left the house for some morning jog.

"Morning, Taiga!" A familiar voice called out from the park overlooking a river. It was Kye, his captain. They shared the same running route, so they met by chance sometimes. The brunette brushed his bangs back as he stood up, shifting his attention from his English Stafy to Kagami who stayed around three metres away. To this day, he still couldn't deal with dogs.

"Morning, Captain," He nodded politely. "Heading to practice soon?" He glanced at the duffel bag next to the bench.

"Yeah, just making some preparation before... oh, right. We haven't told you," A smile grew on Kye's face as he approached Kagami and slapped his shoulders. "We're going to Japan."

"Oh, I see—Wait, _what_!?" His voice was loud, but it didn't deter the brunette. Instead, Kye laughed. "Wait, wait, what? What are we doing there?"

"Team holiday! Besides, it's almost time for the Olympics, don't you want to see it? After that game yesterday, we all deserve a break."

"Yeah, but what about practice?" Kagami couldn't deny that he was extremely excited at the prospect of going back. It had been so long and he missed his friends. It would be a good chance to unwind and catch up with them.

"Is basketball all you have in your head?" The man who was slightly shorter than he was flicked Kagami's forehead, making him wince. "You better pack your bags, we're leaving in one week."

Well, that was a bombshell. The next thing Kagami knew, he was already on board the plane to Tokyo with only a suitcase with him and his twelve teammates cheering excitedly around him. Everyone hounded Kagami, telling him how much they wanted to play with his old Seirin teammates. They'd heard the tales from Kagami's own mouth and decided that they loved them. Sometimes Kagami wondered if he was a part of a basketball team or football, considering how loud they always were.

The plane ride was mercilessly long and by the time they arrived in Narita airport, Kagami's butt had all but cramped up. The silver lining? Kuroko and Satsuki were there to greet him. The two really hadn't changed a bit. Their smiles took Kagami back to when he was in high school playing for Seirin.

"Woaaah!" Kagami ran towards the blue-haired shortie who stopped growing at high school and ruffled his hair. "You really haven't grown!"

"Kagami-kun, I'm offended." He said emotionlessly, but Kagami could see his veins popping, so he stopped.

"Kagamin! I missed you so much!" Satsuki immediately grabbed the redhead's hands and shook them up and down at an alarming speed. "You have no idea how much I wanted to see you, it's been so lonely!"

"Lonely?" He cocked his eyebrows. What a strange thing to say when she should be busy taking care of that blue pain in the ass. "But you have Kuroko with you, don't you?" He steered away from the _actual_ blue one who should be keeping Satsuki occupied.

Now that he thought about it, it was strange how everyone willingly dropped the subject of Aomine. He thought at least Satsuki would try to get them to make up, considering how supportive she was of their nonexistent relationship.

Honestly, he had been wanting to ask how Aomine was doing but fear always won in the end. He didn't want to hear that Aomine had forgotten all about him, or worse, still upset at him just like the brat he was. But perhaps later would be a good chance, if he still had the guts anyway. They were no longer kids—surely, they could go back to how it was. His teammates would be more than happy to play against such a talented player too. Not to mention how Kagami was dying for one-on-one as well. It'd be a good chance to see how much they both had grown.

It sounded very unwise and acting first still left some bitter aftertaste on his tongue, but as said, they were adults now. It was time to move on. Whatever it was that they fought over, it was done and dusted. There was no taking it back. The book had been closed and it was time for a new volume. If not for a game, then perhaps just hearing how he was doing would be enough.

"Yeah, but Tetsu is always busy with work, he never has any time for me!" Satsuki broke Kagami's train of thought with her whining. "Oh, and these must be your friends! Hello, I'm Satsuki." She bowed her head low, and it looked like her charms worked even against Westerners who immediately grinned like idiots. "And this is Tetsu!"

Everyone jumped when they finally noticed the small, lithe boy who waved at them. Everyone got along quite well from there on. They asked about what was a good sightseeing spot, good places to eat and play basketball, all while Kagami became distracted. It had been so long and he was finally back again. The redhead gave Kuroko a smile and it became brighter when the gesture was echoed.

"Welcome back, Kagami-kun," He said gently. "Everyone agreed on next Saturday for a game. Kise-kun said he'd like to come as well."

"How's that bastard doing anyway? Has he stopped playing completely?" Kagami unwrapped a nutbar as he walked towards the bus bay.

"We still get together every now and then. We might have moved on, but we refuse to be out of shape," By that, Kuroko meant all the Miracle kids, probably. It looked like all of them found something in life. Well, nothing ever always ended the way they wanted it to, anyway. "We get challenges quite often."

"For you to jump in the thick of it means that you've gotten that much better, huh?" Kagami's grin was bright, remembering that the Miracles had six members, not five. So it meant Kuroko played in the place of another, from time to time.

"No, we..." Kuroko suddenly stopped. "Yes, I suppose. You would have to play to find out." The smile was cryptic and Kagami had never been good at deciphering mysteries, so merely frowned.

Everyone was too taken by Satsuki, it made talking privately with Kuroko very easy. They both sat next to each other in the bus and spoke in a low tone as to not bother other passengers.

"Kagami-kun..." Kuroko started.

"How is he?"

There was a silence that stretched for so long, Kagami thought Kuroko wasn't going to reply.

"That is not for me to answer," There was a tinge of darkness behind the answer that made Kagami confused. The phantom turned towards the window to watch the traffic pass them by. Then he whispered so quietly, there was no way Kagami would've heard it. "I think... it's better if you don't know."

"Huh? What, is he still mad at me or something? Seriously, what a manchild. It's been five years!" Assuming this was what Kuroko meant by that pensive look, he laughed. "I bet he's still mooching off someone too. What, did he decide to live with you now?"

However, Kuroko didn't laugh. He didn't even look away from the road as he answered, "Quite the contrary. He'd forgotten all about it, so you don't have to worry."

"Then why do you have that look on your face? I thought he died or something."

"Dai-chan is... living with me." Satsuki replied weakly from behind him. His other friends were distracted by the view right now, so Satsuki was free to speak to Kagami.

"You!?" Kagami couldn't hold back his surprise. No, they couldn't be dating, considering how much like siblings they were. That was the reason why he didn't even suggest that.

"Yeah, we never told you because we didn't think you wanted to know," Seriously, why did she look just as upset as Kuroko? Sure, Aomine was dumb and he probably screwed up somewhere in his life, but surely, it couldn't be _that_ bad, right? "B-but it's okay! Don't worry about him. You should think about how to beat Tetsu next week. Everyone hasn't slacked off, you know. If you're not careful, you'll lose."

"She's right, Kagami-kun. Everyone has improved too and said they'll come along."

"They wouldn't stop talking about wiping the floor with you, Kagamin!" The sweet smile signature to Satsuki bloomed as she swung her legs back and forth while sitting down. "Aah, has it really been five years?"

With the thought of Aomine pushed back to the back of his head once more, Kagami laughed at the challenge. No matter who stood between him and the ring, he'd win. He'd show them all the fruit of his labour.

.

For the two weeks they were in Tokyo, they stayed at a fancy restaurant with the most amazing breakfast buffet Kagami had ever had. Obviously, he piled on pancake upon pancake, all drenched in syrup, not forgetting the toast and sausages, the baked beans and bacon. His teammates ate a lot too, but not as much as the redhead.

"Jesus, man. No wonder you don't have a special someone. They're probably too scared you're gonna eat their fill. Here, do you want my share too?" Clive shook his head in disbelief even after knowing Kagami for over four years. In response, Kagami continued gobbling on his food. "So you're going back to your old neighbourhood today?" He changed the topic after realising he wasn't going to get a reaction.

"Mmhm, it's been so long, I just have to. I wonder if that bakery is still there." Truth be told, he wanted to visit the court again, the one he frequented. He wondered if someone else took over now? He remembered it to be quite abandoned. If he wasn't using it, it'd be empty.

"Well, the rest of us are going to the Tokyo Tower, so I guess we'll see you back here, Mr Local." The blonde nudged Kagami before standing up to take another portion.

Kagami didn't make any plan to meet anyone that day. He mostly wanted to relive his carefree teenage years and to see if the ugly carving he did to the tree near the court was still there. Or maybe the skewered basketball that he never got back because it got stuck on the highest branch. Every time he looked at it, he'd laugh. It was all Aomine's fault.

Aomine. Again.

Geez, that guy sure had been persistent in haunting him this past week. Well, he'd run into the blue loser soon enough. He probably heard of the game planned between his team with the Miracles plus Seirin and was practising like crazy now just so he could embarrass Kagami in front of everyone. Jokes on him, though. It wasn't going to happen!

As he came closer towards his destination with a meat bun in his hand, a huge smile grew. The court still stood, after all. The huge tree was still there too with the busted corpse of a basketball hanging on the highest branch. The metal mesh was rusty like no one took care of it, but it was still in one piece. Excitedly, Kagami took the ball out of his duffel bag and dribbled towards the area.

Then he stopped.

A police officer sat lazily on one of the side benches while munching on some melon bread. His disinterested, stormy blue eyes were cast to the sky as he yawned tiredly. With his spine pressed against the backrest and head angled upwards, Kagami saw how the man's bronze skin seemed to shine in the sunlight.

"Aomine?" Kagami called out unconsciously. Of course, he'd be here. Kuroko and the others would've told him that Kagami was coming back. How considerate of him to come here without being invited. Honestly, it was kind of cute if he guessed that Kagami's first destination would be this place. Well, he wasn't wrong because here he was.

The man glanced at the redhead but he didn't react. Instead, he took off his hat and frowned. His dark blue hair was still cut short, exactly how it was all those years ago. When he stood up, Kagami noticed that he'd grown another few centimetres. Ultimately, the height difference between them remained the same but there was a lack of fire in his eyes.

It wasn't the darkness that clouded him during his first year in Touou either. There was just... nothing there. It was like Kagami was looking at the third version of Aomine. This one, he didn't recognise and didn't like.

"What're you doing here, huh? Being all sentimental?" The redhead twirled the basketball on his index finger before catching it and passing it to his rival. "If you're on your break, let's do some one-on-one. I hope you're not rusty. What was it again... I think we were on 389-440? I'll take those 51 wins right now, just watch."

However, Aomine didn't follow him into the court. When Kagami turned around, his rival stood there with the ball still in his hands. With a frown, he looked at Kagami.

"Who are you?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lockdown and easter break got me goin'  
> what a surreal year this has been
> 
> Thanks for the nice comments on chapter 1! Now onto chapter 2. Enjoy!

***

_When someone said count your blessings now_   
_For they're long gone_   
_I guess I just didn't know how_   
_I was all wrong_

***

The pitter patter of rain had always been calming even for Aomine who somehow always found something annoying in everything. With a cup of coffee, he rested his head on his hand as his eyes gazed outside towards the traffic. Pedestrians hurried up, not wanting to get wet. Some of them had umbrellas, raincoat, but most of the students had nothing. They cut through the rain only equipped with jackets or their bags. They weren't the sight that he was focusing on, though. On the opposite side of the street, he saw a redhead with an umbrella that matched his build strolling idly down the road with three big bags of grocery dangling off his hand. It wasn't Kagami, just someone who looked like him.

"You two should make up already." Satsuki's voice was the first thing that Aomine heard after a good fifteen minutes of silence. He didn't even know how she got here, considering how he stealthily fled from her side during her shopping spree.

In response, the blue-haired player simply stretched his arms over the table and continued staring at the Kagami-lookalike who was slowly getting further and further away. "None of your business."

"I know you two fight all the time, but this is too much," As she dragged the chair to sit on it, she pouted. "You're both equally headstrong, so if someone doesn't act first, you might just lose each other, you know!"

"Whaddya know about us anyway," Obviously disgruntled, Aomine murmured. There was fatigue in his voice. "That guy can never stay mad at me. He'll come around."

"It won't kill you to be nice to him, Dai-chan! Kagamin spoils you so much, you can afford to surprise him sometimes," Just when her childhood friend was about to open his mouth, Satsuki crossed her arms. "Sex doesn't count."

"Like hell it doesn't!" He hated to admit it but there was nothing much he could do aside from that. Maybe a good one-on-one partner? Again, he wasn't the only one who benefited from that. Kagami always voluntarily did everything—cooking, cleaning, organising, he never asked for any help. Even if Aomine tried, he'd just ruin everything, so why bother?

"You should treasure him better," Satsuki said sadly. It was rare for her to drop her tone like this. "There's no one else like him."

Aomine really didn't need Satsuki to tell him something he already knew. He'd been a pretty shit friend overall, but Kagami somehow stuck with him. While they weren't dating—they honestly and _truly_ weren't—Aomine should do something to show his appreciation for his rival. However, his ego wouldn't allow him that. He convinced himself that nothing he'd do would make Kagami happy anyway. If anything, the bastard would just laugh and mock him for being such a sap.

But then, they were supposed to be fighting. If there was one thing Aomine was good at, it was _winning_.

"Dai-chan."

"Yeah, yeah!" The dark-skinned male straightened his back and chugged the rest of his coffee before going to the counter to pay for his light snack.

"See, why don't you just do that more often?" Behind him, Satsuki smiled brightly.

"Do what?" Aomine rolled his eyes while grabbing his change.

"Pay for your own food. You always mooch off him, maybe you should spoil him sometimes. Buy him something nice. You did it once, surely you can do it again?"

"All of you are unbearable," Aomine muttered despite not opposing the idea. That was probably the easiest way to say thank you to Kagami for taking care of him all this time. He couldn't wait to see the look of surprise on the redhead's face too, so that was an added bonus.

He had to remind himself that again, they were supposed to be fighting.

"Why's everyone getting on my case lately? Just last week, you were content on leaving us alone."

"Because..." The girl fisted her skirt, eyes downcast. "You'll never know when you'll lose them."

"What? Is Kagami dying or something? Stupid people don't die," Aomine scoffed before glancing at the menu and opening his wallet again. "Can I have five of your triple cheeseburger?" It was said very quietly as if he didn't want Satsuki, or himself, to hear it.

However, she was already occupied. Looked like she got a text message that led to a phone call. She glanced at Aomine for a second before turning away and whispering into it.

"What's that, the Make-Kagami-and-Aomine-reconcile support group?" Lately, Satsuki had been hanging around Seirin a _lot_ for no reason at all. It was one thing to get along with them, it was a whole another thing for them to call this often. He'd also seen her with Kuroko more and more often that he started to suspect they were dating. Not that it would ever happen, with Kuroko's aloofness.

Even the phantom who was always on the sideline, always amused at his lights' shenanigans, had been increasingly proactive in bringing Kagami into the conversation, to which Aomine had angrily replied with: _'Kagami this, Kagami that. If you like him so much, then date him!'_ because seriously, their fight was their own damn business. If only Kagami hadn't fooled around so much, then he wouldn't have been pushed to do what he did.

After ten minutes of waiting for his order and wondering why the hell everyone was so eager to put an end to _his_ business with _his_ friend, he took another look at Satsuki while grabbing his order of five triple cheeseburgers. Whatever, he was so tired of everyone hounding him day and night. He'd just drop this off and then get the fuck back to his own place (that was already empty because he migrated all his belongings). No way he'd face Kagami proposing truce. That was the same as admitting defeat!

"What!?" Satsuki shot up. "It was supposed to be next month! It's April, right? Wait, Kagamin got the _month_ confused?" The pink-haired manager looked at her wristwatch before turning towards Aomine. "Stupid Kagamin! Where are you guys now?"

The name quickly caught Aomine's attention. He walked towards Satsuki who looked horrified. "What did Bakagami do this time?"

Everything that came out of Satsuki's lips turned into a blur as Aomine dropped the brown bag full of burgers.

.

The silence had never been louder before. Save for the wind, distant barking of a dog and the quiet chirping of birds, Kagami and Aomine stared at each other intently. The former being taken aback and the latter, confused. The ball, too, remained on the taller's hands with no intention of being moved.

After a few seconds that felt like hours, Kagami chuckled nervously. "You asshole. You almost got me! Come on, pass!"

"Hah?" Aomine cocked one of his eyebrows just like old times. "I have no idea who you are."

"Real funny, Aho, but you're not fooling anyone. You're here, so Tetsu probably told you I was coming back, right? Come on, let's play already. I'm dying to wipe the floor with you." Obviously not understanding the situation, Kagami stretched his arms and rolled his shoulders, still standing in the middle of the court.

When Aomine made an 'o' with his mouth, he threw the ball towards Kagami and pocketed the empty melon bread wrapper. "Kagami, right?"

"There we go!" The redhead grinned when he heard his name coming out of Aomine's lips. It'd been so long since he heard—

"Kagami Taiga, Bull's power forward. I saw your game last week on TV because my roommate wouldn't turn it down," The ball was then thrown towards Kagami who was already frowning. "What business do you have with me? And calling a police officer an 'idiot' too," Assuming that Kagami saw his nametag, Aomine crossed his arms. "Hmm, but you know Tetsu..."

"What are you on about, did five years make you dumber or something?" Now genuinely concerned, Kagami stopped dribbling. It didn't look like Aomine was joking, but there was no way he'd have forgotten about him.

"Five years..." The officer nodded thoughtfully. "Oh, I see!"

"Whaddya see? Come on, you're creeping me out." Kagami tapped his foot against the ground impatiently.

"You must be one of the unlucky guys I forgot. Join the rank," Aomine laughed without a care in the world. There was no tinge of anything except amusement. "It's happened so many times, I should be used to it. Still, I can't believe I was friends with Kagami Taiga. Well, with my basketball skill, I guess it's only natural."

"You're really not making any sense. Can we play already?" Ignoring the loud thrumming of his heart, Kagami spoke. This really wasn't funny. Kagami hated how sincere those words coming out of Aomine's mouth were, though. No trace of acting or deceit. Then there was those eyes. No playful glint that never failed to surface whenever he was being an asshole. Aomine was standing there, stating matter-of-facts and it drove a stake right into Kagami's heart.

The guy was talking as if they hadn't slept together for over eight months. There was no explosive anger as a result being left behind for five damn years, or even any fire to have a long-overdue one-on-one. Kagami expected a brawl, curses and maybe some broken nose. He didn't expect _this_. Aomine was right there, yet he was out of reach.

"Dai-chan!" Satsuki's voice was recognisable even without the two having to turn around. However, when the girl saw Kagami, her eyes became wide and she took a step back. "...Kagamin?"

"Hey, Momoi! Can you talk some sense into this weirdo? He's acting like he doesn't know me and I'm about to punch him into next week. Good thing you're a police officer." Kagami then smirked at Aomine who only shrugged in response. Satsuki was here, so there was no point in continuing the charade. The ex-Touou manager would just slap the back of Aomine's head and tell him to get over himself. Then finally, maybe they could play some basketball just like before.

"Are you slacking again, Satsuki? I thought you've got work." The office didn't think twice before leaving Kagami's side, but his remark was left unanswered as the girl grabbed Kagami by the wrist and dragged him outside the court. They stopped behind the big tree where Satsuki finally let go while chewing her lower lip.

"Uhm, Kagamin, what are you doing here?"

"Checking out my old neighbourhood, what else?"

"I thought you left with your friends! All of them told me that you were gonna be the tour guide and all..." She was a bit panicky and Kagami wasn't sure why. Was she trying to keep him away from Aomine? If that was the case, then why?

"I told them last night that I've got other plans already. Anyway, can you talk some sense into him? That acting is seriously lame and I think he's having too much fun annoying me." That had to be an act, surely. No matter how stupid Aomine was or how big their fight, there was no way someone could forget their friend. Especially the one they'd been living with for almost a year.

Seeing Kagami's desperate expression, Satsuki's heart broke a little. She had a talk with Kuroko already to not let these two meet because it might be too much for Kagami who hadn't heard anything about Aomine for five whole years, but it looked like they failed. Kagami had yet to get over his first love it seemed, if those sadness in his eyes was something to go by. This made everything so much worse. Satsuki wished that she didn't have to do this, but what choice did she have?

Kagami hated this silence. It pricked his skin and made him restless. Aomine was one thing, but for Satsuki to play along, it was too much. "I get it already, Momoi," Kagami sighed, making the girl gasp in surprise. "You two are playing a prank on me, right? Give it up, I'm not _that_ stupid."

"No!" She denied, dismayed. Seeing how she already ran out of option, she took a deep breath. "Dai-chan... You see, he..." There was a long pause that made Kagami hold his breath.

Kagami gave Satsuki this _look_ that made her close her eyes, not wanting to see how he would react to the news. The redhead then turned towards Aomine who was already busy on his phone, obviously not caring that his rival was here after being MIA for five years. There was an air of nonchalance as he completely ignored Kagami.

"Saaaatsuki!" Aomine's voice made the pink-haired girl jolt in surprise.

"I'll tell you the full story later, I promise." With Kagami frozen like that, she took the chance to straighten her back and hurry towards Aomine who had grown impatient waiting for them. There was a muffled 'why didn't you tell me I was friends with a hotshot!?' as Kagami's mind struggled to catch up with reality.

"Hey, what!? You can't just leave me hanging!"

They did.

.

That evening, the team practiced on the basketball court near the hotel. A bunch of reporters were already there by the time Kagami came back, taking photos of the team Bulls doing their drills. It was an unofficial training, optional since the coach understood most were jet-lagged, so some of the members opted to do minimal exercise instead. He saw seven out of twelve of his teammates and decided to join. Better than doing nothing, anyway. He already had enough headache thanks to Aomine and Satsuki. Memory loss? Yeah, right.

It was just a light training plus four-on-four, mostly just to get their bodies moving. However, Kagami was too distracted to be paying attention. Thanks to that, Clive managed to get past him and gloat.

"What's this, you're going easy on me, Tiger?" He puffed out his chest and winked at his friend, which made the redhead growl.

"I wasn't ready! You're not going past me this time." Clive had always been quick on his feet, but not as crazy as Aomine. He was a lot more predictable, which made it easy for Kagami to deal with. True to his word, he used his height to completely stop the blond in his track.

"I hate you." Clive said when they heard the whistle being blown, signifying the end of the round.

"Suck a dick, Clive!" Someone said from the sideline, then gave his friend a high-five while they laughed together. It was followed with their coach smacking their heads.

"Yeah, that's not what you say when I'm on your side." The two fist-bumped, one more begrudgingly than the other

"Nice play, Kagami-kun." It was Kuroko, he was standing on the other side of the fence, Nigou on a leash next to him. If it wasn't for him speaking, Kagami wouldn't have noticed the phantom's presence.

"You came, huh? Eager to take me on?"

"Not really," He answered flatly. "Would you like to go to Maji?"

"Hell yeah." Nudging Kuroko's shoulder with his elbow, Kagami waved at his team and left with his old friend who hadn't changed at all. The two initiated some small talk as they ordered burgers and brought them onto a free table in the corner.

"Your friends are very impressive, but we won't lose either."

"Ha! I love your spirit." Kagami grinned brightly, in turn making Kuroko smile too.

There was something so dazzling about the redhead that made everyone want to coddle him. Even through the TV, Kuroko could see how much fun Kagami had playing with his friends. Even when he lost, the streak of frustration on his face would always be accompanied with fire. That was Kagami. Hardheaded, persistent idiot whose passion for basketball could change people.

"You're only here for two weeks, right Kagami-kun?" Through his food, Kagami affirmed. "I heard what happened this afternoon."

That made the bigger of the two stop munching for a second. Then, he suddenly swallowed his food and gulped on some cola before leaning towards Kuroko. "Yeah, what the hell? I get why Aomine would do something so lame, but Momoi too?" Unwrapping his second burger already, Kagami scowled. "Can't face me without pretending like he doesn't know me. I thought five years would be enough to make him grow up a bit, but guess I was wrong. I mean, sure, we had our differences, but that was in the past. I still can't forgive him for what he did even though I understand that we—"

"Kagami-kun." Kuroko stopped his friend before he said any more.

"What?"

"We're sorry we never told you," The lithe boy continued with his voice as monotone as ever. "We tried, but you were never interested. Eventually, we dropped it."

"What are you getting at?"

"To tell the truth, there was an accident the day you left for America."

"Oh, yeah. That truck accident, right? That poor bugger," It was only a vague memory, but Kagami remembered reading that article after he landed. He got too distracted with immigration and baggage pick-up to really pay attention. "And? What about it?" Impatience starting to bubble, Kagami pressed.

"It was Aomine-kun."

That made Kagami stop chewing. He sat there with his eyes open wide and mouth agape. Not a single sound was made. He simply stared at his friend lowering his head while fiddling his thumb. The chitter chatter of other patrons became muffled like they were sitting in their own little bubble.

"The driver braked, so the impact didn't kill him outright. However, Aomine-kun suffered a head trauma and bone fractures. He fell into a coma for two months," Kuroko's hands were now shaking. Hell, even his voice began to falter and that didn't happen often. "When he woke up, we thought everything was okay. He smiled like nothing was wrong... he told Satsuki and I to stop moping, but..."

Kagami didn't dare move. It was like he was afraid if he did, Kuroko would stop talking, no matter how much Kagami didn't want his friend to continue. He knew where this was going and he didn't want to hear it.

"He didn't recognise Imayoshi-san and the others," Kuroko paused, as if giving Kagami time to process this information. But how could he? It was way too sudden. "Aomine-kun was diagnosed with retrograde amnesia. He remembered Teiko, but barely had any recollection of Touou."

Kagami's throat dried up in an instant. Not even swallowing did it any good. He waited and waited for Kuroko to jump up, smile and say 'psyche!', but of course he wouldn't. Kuroko would never do anything like that. "After that, we didn't know how to tell you, Kagami-kun. We thought— _hoped_ his memory would return naturally, but..." He looked up to see that blood had been drained from Kagami's face. "We should've told you, but we really didn't know how." Those words were merely a whisper.

"Basket," Kagami said suddenly, his lips trembling. "He still plays, right?" If nothing else, Kagami should be able to force his ex-roommate to remember him through a game. Basketball was a common language between two socially inept idiots, so if they still had that to fall back on, not all was lost.

Kagami's heart shattered when Kuroko weakly shook his head. "The injury to his legs was too severe. He'd need therapy if he wanted any hope of getting back, but Aomine-kun refused," Kuroko's eyes were closed as he recounted the event. "He said there's no point of playing anymore. That it's a good thing that he _can't_ play anymore—Kagami-kun, where are you going?"

"Drag that asshole into the court and force him to play, of course! Kicking and screaming if I have to." How _dare_ he forget? Well, no matter. Kagami would just have to drill everything back into that thick skull of his. Like hell he'd lose an important sparring partner. Or a dear friend. _Both._

_Stupid blue asshole... You're not getting away from me that easily. Not before you apologise._

Ignoring Kuroko's attempt at stopping him, the taller one kept walking and hailed the nearest taxi. Both men stepped into it before the vehicle moved towards the old court once more. Satsuki must live there, if both of them were present during lunch hour.

.

"So?"

"What 'so'?"

"Are you gonna tell me anything about Kagami?"

Closing the sport magazine and putting it on the dining table, Satsuki puffed her cheeks. "Why are you eating takeaway? I told you I'd be cooking today."

"That's exactly why I'm eating takeaway." Picking his ear and blowing, Aomine then put another tempura into his mouth. "So, who's he?"

"Hnnm!" She tried her best to suppress her scowl, but failed. By now, she understood that she wasn't a good cook, but she improved! If only Aomine would actually _try_ them. "He was your boyfriend."

_SPIT._

"My _what_!?"

"That's gross, Dai-chan! You're the worst!" The girl immediately ran to the sink to wash her face that was drenched in cola. "It's true, though. You and Kagamin..." Remembering how much they bickered and bickered, Satsuki smiled fondly. No one could handle Aomine the way Kagami did. It was impressive, how whipped the Touou ace was.

"Me, _whipped_!? What drug are you high on, do I have to make an arrest?"

Oh, so she said that out loud. "I'm not lying! Both of you were so in love, it made me feel _bad_ for not having a boyfriend because all I did was third-wheel you!"

"I would never cheat on Mai-chan!" The police officer took out the gravure magazine that he bought earlier and placed it on the table roughly as if that proved anything.

"Ugh, you're impossible to talk to!" She puffed her cheeks once more. "I miss Kagamin's Dai-chan. He was so cute! Now, you're just a pain in the butt. I remember you asking Tetsu what Kagamin likes so you can surprise him on his birthday. Or that time when you asked Sakurai to teach you how to make chocolate so you can give it to Kagamin for Valentine's..."

"I'd never do anything embarrassing like that. Seriously, what drug are you on, Satsuki?" Aomine stood up and put his bento container in the bin before chugging the rest of his cola and crushing the can in his hand. "If he really was my boyfriend, then why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"Because..."

"Because of what? Because it's probably just a big pile of horse shit you're spouting, that's what. I'm gonna take a quick walk outside." Grabbing a black jacket, the blue-haired male left the apartment. Him, dating a guy? What nonsense. Sure, Kagami was good looking and all, but with that kind of annoying fired-up personality he had, they'd never get along. Besides, he was only interested in big boobs. Unless—

_No, no, no. I'm not interested in big man boobs._

After getting rid of such needless thought, Aomine finally came down to earth again. He didn't know how, but suddenly he was in front of the basketball court.

"It's always this damn place." He muttered quietly but didn't stop his feet from carrying him past the rusted metal fence and stood in the middle of the court. No matter where or when he spaced out, he'd always gravitate here. Kuroko and Satsuki—they never questioned him. Instead of amused smiles, all he got was downcast look that he never understood.

This place brought him comfort. Whenever he stood on the court or sat on the bench, he'd feel calmer, somehow. In fact, the few games that he played against Kuroko all took place here. There was something almost hypnotic about this worn-out area, something that rejuvenated him no matter how shitty his day was.

It was colder than usual that day, even for an early winter. With his hands in his pocket, Aomine stared at the ring that he used to aim for. How long had it been since he last dribbled a ball? He could count with his ten fingers. However, feeling the wind whipping past his face like this, he wanted to play a game against a strong opponent. An opponent he never found.

But earlier, Kagami, he asked to play, didn't he? Maybe, if it was him... Maybe he'd be a worthy opponent.

"My boyfriend, huh? Bullshit." Kicking the ground, Aomine laughed at himself. What could he do anyway? His legs were alright, but they weren't completely healed. The doctor said that as long as he trained them everyday, they would eventually get better. Perhaps not overnight, but in a year or two, he'd be as good as new. It was an advice that fell to deaf ears. After all, what was the point of playing if he didn't have fun?

It was just an excuse for him to stop. Not like his team needed or wanted him. He remembered the first day back at Touou where he received sympathetic look, but no one except for the coach, that Imayoshi guy or Satsuki ever asked him to return. He figured he'd just spare everyone the misery and turn his back on the thing that was once his entire life.

"Ahomine!!!" The loud noise was so obnoxious, it made Aomine's veins pop. "Let's have a game, you and me!" Kagami chucked the basketball without warning, but it was caught reflexively. "I don't give a shit if you're paralysed or whatever, how dare you forget about me, asshole!?"

"Hey, I didn't choose to forget about you, but if I did get a choice, I'd still choose to forget you in particular, you loud-mouthed moron!" Along with the declaration of war, Aomine threw the ball back at Kagami who didn't spit any rebuttal. Instead, he smiled.

"Yeah, that's the Aomine I know."

"Kagami-kun... you're too fast..." By the time Kuroko reached the court, his breathing was laboured even though Nigou still barked next to him cheerfully.

"Come on, I'll take those 51 wins!" Throwing his Bulls jacket to the bench, Kagami started dribbling and Aomine immediately got in position.

"Don't get cocky just because you're some NBA superstar. The great Aomine is gonna have to take you down a few notches, huh?" Echoing Kagami's taunt, Aomine ripped his jacket away from his body and threw it next to the redhead's. Under normal circumstances, he'd turn down the obvious attempt at riling him up. But for some reason, he hated this guy's guts enough to want to face off.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah! Come at me!" The sound of basketball hitting the ground soon became audible. _Thump, thump, thump._ It was the sound of their heartbeats and the dribble. They stayed there staring at each other for a few seconds with stiff stances. If Aomine truly hadn't played, then this should be an easy win for Kagami. Still, he wouldn't hold back. He'd crush Aomine so hard, it'd make the asshole cry.

Kuroko merely watched passively as his lights slug it out. They were just as fast as before, although Kagami's movements were obviously more trained now. He easily kept up with Aomine in dribbling speed and even able to read all his movements. "This is unfair." Kuroko muttered to Nigou. After all, Kagami remembered hundreds of games he played against Aomine while the other didn't. The redhead knew exactly how his ex-partner would respond, and it made everything look one-sided.

As expected, Aomine didn't take it lying down. He ran the fastest he'd ever ran before. For now, his legs were of no issues because he accelerated and decelerated in that crazy manner just fine. Kagami might be fast but Aomine was still faster. The only reason why the taller one hadn't trampled the stockier was experience. Aomine was rusty, but Kagami wasn't. While the ex-Touou ace slacked off, Kagami was out there playing his heart out with people whose passion for basketball rivalled that of his. Kuroko might not have known the Bulls for that long, but the practice session earlier affirmed everything. Everyone there only made Kagami better. Their camaraderie, their drive, they made his friend soar to a place he could never hope to reach.

"Shit!" Aomine spat on the ground when Kagami landed post-dunk. Was this guy even human? He knew all about that monstrous jumping capability, but to see it with his own two eyes like this was unreal.

"You suck, Ahomine. If you don't step it up, you'll really get destroyed, you know?"

"Shut the fuck up, bastard!" Grabbing the ball, Aomine dribbled it from the ground until it reached a comfortable bounce. Like a panther, he shot forward with his body hunched.

"Geh!" That speed shouldn't take anyone by surprise, but it did. No one in the competition ever paralleled Aomine in terms of speed. Good to know that the statement still stood even after the blue idiot lost his memory and injured his legs. "Like I'd let you!"

"Good, no fun otherwise!"

As the two continued bickering, Kuroko observed them with a pair of soft eyes. How nostalgic. He remembered every time he'd visit the two on their days off, they'd always be playing here. In the thick of it, it was like they were trapped in their own little world. They couldn't see anyone else, let alone hear them. Truly basketball idiots, his lights were.

Kagami was good. Damn good. Aomine couldn't hold back a satisfied grin as he squared off against this tiger that always had his claws ready. He didn't want to have his throat torn open yet, so he had to move faster. Strength was useless if they kept getting outsped, and outspeeding Kagami was the one thing he excelled in. Or at least, that was how it should've been on paper. Kagami wasn't make this easy. He jumped all over the place like a fucking rabbit, it infuriated Aomine. That stocky body and ridiculous blocking power made it feel like he was going up against a moving brick wall.

Well, he wasn't called a Tiger for nothing. What ridiculous guy.

"There's that smile." As Kagami landed from yet another stupid dunk, he grinned. Sweat scattered around him and they shone like jewels thanks to the streetlight. He looked positively radiant that it made Aomine's heart skip a bit.

The taller one leered at his supposed boyfriend. Boyfriend. Really? Clutching his chest, he refused to admit the possibility. "What smile?"

"That one on your face."

"I'm not smiling."

"You are, Aomine-kun." It was followed by Nigou's bark of confirmation.

"Tetsu, how long have you been there!?"

"The whole time. You are as rude as ever, Aomine-kun."

"You guys are irritating!" Turning away to calm himself down, Aomine grabbed the ball. He must've been surprised, that was all. To see someone matching him wasn't something he thought he'd see, so that was why his heart leapt like that. "Come on, one more— _ngh_!" The groan came out muffled, but it didn't fool anyone. His right knee gave in.

"Daiki—" Kagami snapped his mouth shut. It was only from the corner of his eyes, but he saw how the guy almost stumbled. "Aomine, are you okay?"

"'m fine. One more."

"No," The redhead said firmly. "That's enough for tonight."

"Huh!? I was just getting started. Are you running away, Bakagami!?"

_Bakagami._

Just from that one word alone, Kagami bit his inner cheeks. Then, he burst out laughing. "Bakagami, huh? It's been so long since someone called me that! Give me the ball," He snatched the object out of Aomine's hands. "If you really wanna play me again, then what about tomorrow lunch and after work?"

"In your wildest dream. Now or never!"

"Sure, sure, Ahomine. See you tomorrow. Kuroko, too. I'm going back."

The two Miracle kids watched the redhead leave happier than before, no matter how much he tried to conceal it.

With his eyes sparkling like no one had ever seen before, Kuroko turned towards Aomine and smiled. "So what do you think of him, Aomine-kun?"

"He's passable, I guess." The man questioned only scratched his cheek as he grabbed his jacket and put it back on.

"You know," Kuroko continued. "Kagami-kun is always the happiest when he plays with you. Even now, I can see it. What about you?"

The query took Aomine by surprise, as shown by how he flinched. His heart was beating loudly and he had to admit that Kagami's basketball was wild, passionate and... "Don't really care," He quickly said before he could think of anything silly. "He's not as good as I am. Once I recover, I'll send him on his ass."

"Once you recover?"

Upon realising that he just indirectly accepted the challenge, Aomine became embarrassed. "I didn't say anything!"

"Ah, you're really looking forward to playing him that much."

"Am not!"

"Don't be so stubborn, Aomine-kun."

"Shut up, Tetsu!"

As the two made their way back towards Satsuki's place, Aomine spared one more glance at the rickety basketball court hardly anyone ever used. The way he reacted to Kagami's taunts earlier... and how _alive_ he felt when he played made him think that there really was something about that place.

"Hey, Tetsu. That court..." Aomine muttered quietly but quickly snapped his jaw shut. "Nevermind."

Kuroko was grateful that Aomine stopped before he could say what was in his mind because he wasn't sure if he could explain just why his old friend couldn't stop drifting there. Now Kagami was here, Kuroko hoped that he would be able to show Aomine what that place was.

Well, today was a great start, he supposed.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Easter break is almost over, so I'll be going back to my fulltime job (thank god I still have it... I feel like I'm living in a post-apocalyptic world or something). Updates won't be as quick, but since I write pretty fast when I want to, it should still be coming within the week!
> 
> Thank you for all your nice comments, they really keep me going <3 I hope you enjoy this chapter too! It might end up as more than 5 since I ramble so much, but we'll see how we go.

***

_Empty sky_   
_I'm alone with no one nearby_   
_But our memories ignite the passion that keeps us both alive_   
_Invite us to the beautiful star sight_

***

Funny how they said the moment before you die, your life flashes before your eyes.

When Aomine saw glimpses of his time with Kagami, he really thought that was the end. He remembered that bright smile that cut through his darkness, the way his body moved with precision in the court, the loud laughter that he could spot from miles away. Everything that screamed Kagami, all of them were the reason why Aomine liked him. But of course, the last thing he remembered was Kagami's disappointment. The eyes that always lit up whenever they were together were blemished by tears that Aomine didn't understand.

Why did he cry?

_Urgh, this sucks. I didn't even get a chance to talk to him one last time... He's gonna spit at my grave and gloat about how he lives longer than I did. I've done it now. Just you watch, Bakagami... I'll haunt you._

As he felt his consciousness seeping out of his body, he heard a familiar high-pitched voice coming closer. "Dai-chan, Dai-chan!" It screamed out.

_Satsuki... why are you crying too? Cut it out, you're seriously lame._

Aomine didn't know if the moisture on his cheeks was the rain or his childhood friend's tears. The pain was too much to handle, but it was eventually numbed as he slipped away. Thank god for that. With the last of his power, Aomine reached to the side where he saw five triple cheeseburgers scattered on the ground and slowly being coated in blood. _His_ blood.

_How's Taiga gonna eat them now? Ugh... what a stupid way to die. I haven't even apologised..._

It was horrifying, to see the high and mighty Aomine looking powerless. The life in his eyes began to flicker, making Satsuki cry even louder. She grabbed her friend's shoulder and sobbed into it while others in the vicinity called for the ambulance. Loud siren soon cut through the glum evening and Aomine was carefully lifted from the ground and carried into the vehicle. She started to regret the times when she'd curse at him and hoped he'd fall over and die somewhere because that was exactly what Aomine was about to do.

Kuroko was the first to arrive in the emergency unit along with a distraught expression Satsuki had only seen a handful of times. "Aomine-kun... How is he?" His voice was shaky, and he held back a whimper when Satsuki cried once more, this time while wrapping her arms around Kuroko. Both of them could hardly believe what was happening. In the face of such unexpected time, they froze.

"Dai-chan... you idiot..." Satsuki sobbed next to Aomine's unconscious body. The surgery had been completed, and while his condition stabilised, he showed no sign of waking up. "Why are you always so reckless? How... how are we supposed to face Kagamin now?"

Kuroko might not be crying but his eyes were glossy as he fisted his pants. This wasn't the first time he felt powerless, but it certainly was the first time he'd ever despaired to this extent. "What happened, Momoi?"

"...He tried to chase after Kagamin," Satsuki sniffled while wiping her eyes with the sleeves of her sweater. "It was my fault. I told him that Kagamin's in the airport, about to leave for America. The next thing I realise, he dashed away, and then... and then..."

"It wasn't your fault," Kuroko put an arm around Satsuki in an attempt to cheer her up. It worked a little bit, but then his phone rang. Grateful for the distraction, the boy turned to check it with a sigh. "Ah, it's Kagami-kun. He's arrived." Said the lithe highschooler when he received a message. Then, he glanced at Satsuki.

This probably wasn't a good time to break the news. Not when Kagami just landed.

Over the next couple of months, Kuroko subtly tried to bring Aomine into the conversation whenever he had the chance, but every single time, he'd be met with resistance. He lost count of how many times Kagami would switch the topic or say that he was running late to practice. He considered saying it through email, but seeing what he wrote only filled him with dread, especially when Aomine was still unconscious. It felt _final,_ like if he pressed the 'send' button, his friend would never wake up. Besides, Kagami was out there running towards his dream. Basketball was his entire life and he was doing _so_ well, Kuroko didn't have the heart to slow him down. If he told Kagami what happened, he would be forced to choose between his two lives and if he came back to Japan, he'd be throwing out such amazing opportunity.

The turmoil was overwhelming. He tried asking Kise and other Seirin members to help him. Even when they finally managed to say it: "Aomine got in an accident and fell into coma", Kagami scoffed and told them that they weren't funny. Then he'd hang up. As expected, their attempts only pushed Kagami further away. Their calls soon were left unanswered more and more often. It was frustrating. _Extremely_ so. How could Kagami be such a coward? And most importantly, why was _he_ such a coward? He could've just insisted on talking about Aomine, tell Kagami what happened when he left...

But at the same time, he had hope that Aomine would pull through. That he'd open his eyes and talk to Kagami himself. The fight between the two had been trivial for those who were smart enough to take a step back, but for them, it was much more than that. It was more than a battle of pride. When it came to each other, they both wore their hearts on their sleeves, so for it to be crushed...

"Who's Kagami?"

It was a simple question, but upon hearing that, Satsuki broke down into tears. How the hell were they supposed to tell Kagami now, that his best friend no longer remembered him? Still, they _hoped_ that Aomine would regain his memories. A lot of people suffering retrograde amnesia recall everything after a few months.

"He would be upset with you. You used to have so much fun playing with him—"

"Have fun? Don't give me that bullshit. If that's really true, then where is he? America? What a convenient lie."

When everyone came about, it had already been two years. Aomine had quit basketball and he still had no recollection of Kagami. The eyes that would always be filled with love and excitement in those one year after he met his true rival were now downcast. He didn't have a goal. He didn't have _anyone_ he could turn to because he thought everybody tried to trick him back into the sport. And without basketball, all his cockiness and narcissism faded away, leaving only quiet resentment.

No one had the heart to tell Kagami.

And no one spoke of Kagami to Aomine anymore.

They all only looked at the tragic basketball genius with pity. Even if they told him that someone out there was waiting for him, he would never believe them. The gifts from Kagami spurred no emotion from Aomine. He merely locked them in the closet without a second glance. However, they let him linger in that old basketball court he used to go to every day. Aomine would sit there and stare curiously at the ring, then at the tree where the deflated basketball hung. If they tried to tell him that this was the court he played at every day, he'd just leave and never return. Leaving him like that, maybe one day, he'd remember.

Looking back at it, they should've done more.

.

"What do you even see in him anyway, Kagamicchi? He's self-centred, mean, narcissistic, always looking for a fight," Using his fingers, Kise counted all Aomine's bad traits. "Why did you date him?"

"We didn't _date_ ," Kagami sighed for the nth time. "Neither of us ever asked the other out, so we weren't really together." The soda container on his hand was tapped as he spoke. Honestly, Kagami didn't know why he liked Aomine either. All they ever did was argue and raise their voice until his neighbours knock on his door to make sure everything was okay.

"That doesn't answer my question!"

"It doesn't matter anymore. He doesn't even remember me." The last sentence came out as a whisper. He tried to not let it get to him, but it was harder than it looked. Aomine didn't forget him by choice, so it wasn't his fault, for once. Still, it kind of hurt, especially when Kagami was still hung up on the asshole even after five whole years.

"I would call this an opportunity," Said Midorima while he adjusted his glasses. In his hands was a polka dot water bottle that was apparently today's lucky item. "Since everything ended on a sour note, this is a chance to start over again."

"It doesn't work like that, though, Midorimacchi."

"Why not?" Next to him, Murasakibara calmly munched on his fries, disinterested as ever.

"Because Aominecchi doesn't remember anything from five years ago! That means he has no idea how in love he was with Kagamicchi and also why they had a falling out! The joy of romance is in resolving problems and then be stronger together."

"You're saying it like you have much experience in the topic, Kise-kun. How many times have you broken up now?" Kuroko stated flatly, making the blond flinch.

"H-hey, I can't help it. Being a model is a tough job, you know?"

The usual antics of his teammates made Kagami snort. None of them changed in the five years he left and it instilled some degree of relief within him. Had Aomine not been involved in that accident, would he be here too laughing with everyone? Honestly, he couldn't help feeling guilty because part of it was his fault. If he'd never left... if he'd just sucked it up and apologise first... Why was he such a fucking idiot?

He should've listened to Kuroko and the others all those years ago. He thought it was weird and borderline infuriating that they tried to feed him so much nonsense. He wanted to get angry at someone, but he had no one else to blame but himself.

Still, surely they could've... No, he shouldn't blame anyone. It might sound like running away, coming from him, but what was done was done. There was no changing it. For now, he should try to snap Aomine out of it... and the rest, he could deal with later. He'd never been good at multitasking anyway.

Kagami glanced at the empty space next to him. He remembered gorging on burgers with Aomine almost daily. They were such common faces that no one was even surprised anymore by their combined appetite. Gradually, everyone became immune to their bickering and he could've sworn some patrons only shook their heads while whispering 'They're at it again'.

"Kagami-kun." Kuroko looked up at his friend who turned to face him as if sensing the inner turmoil in Kagami. The redhead had fallen silent for a while.

"Don't worry. I'll beat everything back into him. I haven't heard his explanation, after all." The grin that Kagami cracked made Kuroko nod as if saying 'I know you will'. However, there was a silent apology written all over him. It didn't take a rocket scientist to know that Kuroko regretted his unassertiveness, which made Kagami blame himself all over again. If only he was less stubborn and prideful, then this wouldn't have happened.

"Though it's such a shame," Kise sighed. "Aominecchi was seriously thinking of going pro as well, you know? I mean... before the whole thing happened. I never would've thought I'd hear it from him, considering how much he hated basketball before."

"Oh?" That caught Midorima and Murasakibara's attention. It even made Kagami blink. Kuroko didn't seem fazed, so he must've known as well.

Aomine going pro, he really talked about that? So his trust wasn't misplaced. Had they not fought... then perhaps, they both could've been in America right now. Unconsciously, tight fists formed on the table. Kagami clenched his fingers so hard, his nails dug into his palm. "That asshole. He never told me."

"I'm not surprised!" Kise shook his head in exasperation. "I mean, no matter how much of a meanie he is, he used to be a softie. Uh, at least that's what Kurokocchi told me."

"Don't say anything if you're not sure, Kise-kun. It's irritating."

"Kurokocchi!!" The blond feigned some tears at the brutality.

"When did he say it?" Kagami asked curiously, eyes narrowed. Honestly, he was offended that Aomine didn't think to mention it to him. What, did he think that Kagami would try to stop him?

"He probably wanted to surprise you, Kagami-kun," Said Kuroko like he just read Kagami's mind. "Aomine-kun is socially handicapped and dim-witted most of the time, but he always seeks your approval."

"What's with the back-handed compliment..." The redhead laughed at Kuroko's usual antic.

"So, please beat some sense into him and take him back with you, Kagami-kun. We can barely handle him moping around anymore."

"You make Aominecchi sounds like some problematic animal." In response to that, Kuroko gave Kise a blank look that said 'he is'.

"Do you think he can go pro?" Murasakibara uttered the first sentence of the day.

"He's still relatively young," Kagami said while leaning back. "If he does it soon, he will still have a chance. Daiki's individual skill is one-of-a-kind, crazy even. With a little polish, big names would be dying to have their hands on him. The problem is teamwork..." It was one thing Aomine was absolutely horrible at.

" _Daiki_ , huh..." Everyone immediately glanced at Kagami from the corner of their eyes as if judging him.

"S-shut up!" Kagami stammered but managed to regain his composure with a throat clear. "As I was saying, he'll probably struggle being a pro. Everyone there is gonna be as good as he is, and if he can't play with a team, then no matter how amazing he is, he'll get benched."

"Then wouldn't it be better for him to be in your team, Kagamicchi?" Kise tilted his head. "I mean, you two know each other's play styles like the back of your hands. So if Aominecchi will work with anyone, it's you."

"But Kagami would rather go up against him, if he can help it," Midorima chipped in while adjusting his glasses. It was replied with a nod by the redhead. "Well, this is all hypothetical. Not to burst your bubble but the longer his memory stays locked, the less likely he is to remember. It's been five years."

Everyone went silent at the reality check. Kuroko was the first to speak. "Then we just need to make him remember as soon as possible."

.

Maybe it was his fault that he got dragged into this. If he wanted to, he could've avoided it altogether. It wasn't like Kagami put **him at a gunpoint to play, it was more like somehow, Aomine couldn't refuse. Maybe it was because of what Satsuki said about that weirdo being his boyfriend. If that was the truth, then why did he choose a guy, of all people?

Kagami was nothing special. He was loud, obnoxious and cared for nothing but basketball. While he was good-looking, he wasn't soft to the touch nor was he the conventional definition of cute. The more he tried to think about it, the more confused he became.

But after going up against him for the past three days, Aomine couldn't deny the fact that Kagami's basketball was refreshing. That guy could run, read, block and jump. He was a force to be reckoned with even after seeing him for a few minutes through the TV. Experiencing it firsthand was an even greater thrill which was why Kagami got his way with him. "Well, he's a pro, so that's to be expected." Aomine muttered to himself while resting his head on his hands behind him.

"Who's a pro?"

"Wuaagh!" Shocked to see Kagami right up his face, Aomine almost headbutted the redhead. "What are you doing, sneaking up on me like that, bastard!"

"Your fault for spacing out. Are you warmed up?" Said Kagami as he jumped from the back of the bench to a sitting position.

"Huh, why would I do something so troublesome like—"

"Go. _Now_."

"Nah."

"Ahomine! If you don't warm-up, you'll get cramps and you'll probably cry in the middle of our one-on-one." Kagami shoved the skinnier guy to the side and Aomine didn't have enough muscle mass to not fall off the bench.

"Learn to control your strength, gorilla!" Aomine stood up and jabbed his head forward.

"Your fault for slacking, stupid!" Kagami followed suit and their foreheads made contact with each other as they glared. "I take my eyes off you for a second and you decide to get hit by a truck, forget about me and quit basketball. I won't be surprised that if I leave again, you'll probably die in a ditch somewhere."

"Ah," That made the one in police uniform blink. "When are you going back?"

"In ten days. Let's go for a jog." This time, Aomine was more obedient. Both of them silently ran a few laps around the court while stealing glances at each other until they both locked eyes. Then, they immediately turned away, embarrassed.

Aomine realised that there was something so homey about his bickering with Kagami. No matter what he said, the redhead never ran out of rebuttal, never got tired of arguing. Although his nagging reminded him of Satsuki's, it was a lot more tolerable that it got him thinking. "...Were you really my boyfriend?"

"Huh?" That mumble took Kagami by surprise. For a second, he didn't know what to answer, but thought it would be easier to just tell the truth. "Did Momoi tell you that? No, I wasn't."

"I knew she was lying." Aomine grunted.

"Aah, well, uh... w-we did do it, though... er," The redhead hesitated, heat slowly creeping up his face. "Y'know..."

"We fucked?" Aomine said it so casually, Kagami had to roll his eyes in disgust. "How often? For how long? I was the top, right?"

"...You really don't remember anything, huh?" There was a tinge of pain in the way Kagami delivered that, whether unintentionally or not. He ignored those questions, though. "Whatever, you'll remember soon enough."

For the past three days, it had been like this. Whenever Aomine was out for a lunch break and after work, Kagami always readily waited for him here. It was kind of cute, the way his whole visage would brighten up the moment Aomine entered. He was like an overgrown puppy, it made Aomine want to pat him sometimes. That didn't mean their screaming matches reduced, though. If anything, it happened more for longer as time went on, all because Aomine knew he'd never hurt Kagami. That reaction, or lack thereof, only motivated Aomine to be more of an asshole than he cared to be.

"You're like a chipmunk." He poked Kagami's puffy cheeks as he stuffed food in his mouth.

"This is why you're so skinny. You should eat more." Just like a mum, Kagami huffed but didn't stop himself from taking a bigger bite as if to spite Aomine.

Ignoring Kagami's complaints, Aomine merely took another bite from the bento box Kagami prepared. It tasted absolutely divine, better than anything he'd ever had before.

Kagami could see the twinkle in Aomine's eyes too, as he shoved the chopstick full of food into his mouth. He had always been quiet _er_ and more agreeable when he ate. That was how he knew that Aomine was enjoying his meal.

Was it a good or a bad thing that Aomine could see Kagami being his boyfriend? Even from this meal alone, he could tell. All of his favourite food was included—mini teriyaki burger, some pork pan-fried gyoza. Hell, Kagami even brought cold banana milk with him! It _could_ just be Satsuki's doing, but...

He glanced at Kagami and chewed on his chopsticks.

"Why do you even bother thinking when you don't have a brain?"

"Shut up, Bakagami, like you're any better!"

But basketball with Kagami... it wasn't so bad.

"Is everyone on your team good?" Aomine said after their evening session. He was drenched in sweat and his legs hurt. Kagami might be a one-track-mind idiot, but he paid close attention to how Aomine was doing. If he showed even a little wince, the worrywart would stop the game even if he was just getting fired up. Usually, Aomine could only play for about fifteen to twenty minutes before he had to rest.

"Of course they are," The redhead said after he capped his water bottle. "You should stop doing that thing."

"What thing?"

"You know, when you accelerate from zero to a hundred. Or when you land and start sprinting. Your legs haven't fully recovered, so you should take it easier," Especially now that Aomine was out of shape. He still retained some muscle mass, but not like before. "Let's go to the gym tomorrow."

"Huh? I wanna play basket!"

"You do, huh? You _do_." Kagami mocked.

Realising what he said, Aomine quickly snapped and he pressed on his bottle so the water sprayed Kagami. "You got a problem with that!?"

"Hey, I'm gonna catch a cold!"

"Idiots don't get sick!"

The two had their foreheads against each other again. It wasn't the first time, but it was getting harder for Kagami to not lean in and kiss Aomine's stupid mouth. He thought it would be harder to get the guy to snap out of it, but he was pleasantly surprised to see him so agreeable.

Outside the court, Satsuki and Kuroko stood. They both had faint smiles as they watched the ex-lovers bantered like they used to. However happy Satsuki and Kuroko were, their hearts were still heavy.

"Tetsu..." Satsuki started, her voice wavering slightly. "If we had done more before, do you think that they would be in America right now? They'd be playing together or against each other... maybe we'd see their matches on the television right now."

Kuroko was quiet for a moment while Nigou scratched himself. He didn't know what to say to make everything better. By that logic, everyone who knew about Kagami and Aomine was at fault. They tried, but they didn't try hard enough. "There was little we could've done about Aomine." He pursed his lips, thinking about how exceedingly stubborn his friend was. The ex-Touou ace was a lot more explosive and volatile comparing to Kagami which made talking to him difficult. If they were to get through to someone, it would've been Kagami. Yet, Kuroko couldn't even do that much.

"Ooh, you guys are here again!" Kagami's cheerful voice brought them back to reality and Kuroko felt gutted. He didn't deserve that smile, not after what he had, or rather, _failed_ to do. "Are you ready for our game in three days?"

"Game?" That piqued Aomine's interest. Funny because only four days ago, he wouldn't even bat an eyelash. Maybe this happened because he was coming down from an adrenalin rush as a result of playing against Kagami.

"Yeah, all our old teammates are coming. I heard Kise is coming too?" Kagami said while putting the ball back in his duffel bag.

"Ah, Midorima-kun said he might be able to take some time off his shift. I'm not sure about Murasakibara-kun, though. And Akashi-kun is still abroad, so he's not joining."

"Dai-chan, do you want to say something~?" Satsuki hummed when she saw how agitated Aomine looked, foot tapping rapidly against the pavement.

"No." He growled, obviously lying.

 _Ah, he wants to be invited._ All three of them thought at the same time. Yes, even Kagami could read it. Either Aomine was doing a terrible job at hiding his feelings or maybe because Kagami became better at seeing through his bullshit.

"It'd be so much fun!" To provoke Aomine, Kagami pumped his fists. "We'll all play against each other, right? What about I team up with you just like the old days, and we can play against Kise and Murasakibara?"

"Or perhaps you and your friends can play against us, along with Kiyoshi-san and Hyuga-san. Momoi, you are coming too, correct?"

"Ooh, I wouldn't miss it for the world!" Satsuki squealed. It was terrible acting but Aomine was dumb enough to fall for it. "So many great players, it's bound to be a sight!"

"Lame!" Aomine yelled out. "You guys are so lame!"

"You don't have to come, Aomine-kun." Kuroko retorted flatly.

"Guh!" He scowled. "Why not? I want to see how _bad_ you guys are."

"Then what's the point of coming? Just stay at home and read your porn magazine or something." More firewood was thrown by Kagami.

"I finished the latest issue, so I don't have anything to do." Aomine insisted on saving face.

"Then go sleep."

"I can't sleep all day!"

"I've seen you sleep for eighteen hours in a day."

"Well, I _can't_ anymore!"

"God, you're _insufferable,"_ Kagami shook his head, amused. "Just _ask_ if you wanna come. It's not that hard."

"Whatever, I bet you guys aren't going to be entertaining anyway, you B-class players!" Aomine growled before grabbing his jacket and running ahead. "Let's go, Satsuki!"

"Dai-chan, wait for me!"

As soon as their voices became nothing more than a muffle, Kuroko turned towards Kagami. "Are you sure you don't want to catch up with him?"

"We still have three days," The redhead shrugged. "He'll come around."

The shorter one nodded. It wouldn't be significant if Aomine was forced to come, but if he was the one who asked, it was a different story.

While they walked towards the train station, Kuroko couldn't help but think back to his conversation with Satsuki earlier. Kagami might have noticed the uncharacteristic silence as well because he only stared.

"Kagami-kun, I'm... I'm sorry."

"You've got nothing to apologise for," There was no need for context. "I was also at fault for not listening. Everyone tried to tell me, but I brushed it off," At the memory of him refusing to answer anyone's calls, Kagami tightened his fists. "If only I'd gotten over my pride for a second..."

"What were you so scared of Kagami-kun?" It was a genuinely curious question. "Why didn't you want to talk to or hear anything about Aomine-kun?"

Being hated, perhaps? Or maybe admitting to himself that he was in love with Aomine through and through? Or maybe the potential that it was unreciprocated? They were all cheesy answers, but Kagami didn't know what else there were. "I... don't know." He muttered at last in the moving train. There was barely anyone else inside.

Seeing the anguished look on his friend's face made Kuroko want to apologise again, but he held his tongue. Nothing he'd say would make it magically better. "Is there anything I can do?" His voice came out as nothing more than a whisper.

Both men looked out the window to the blurred scenery. For a moment, there was silence. "Just make sure I don't do anything stupid."

"So, the same as usual?"

"Bastard." That made Kagami laugh. He ruffled Kuroko's hair, which made the smaller player smile as well.

.

Satsuki's voice was muffled outside as she spoke with her friend on the phone. The television was on, showing the latest news while Aomine stayed in his room just lying on his bed after shower and dinner. This entire time, he couldn't stop thinking back to the day he woke up in the hospital alongside Kuroko and Satsuki.

That memory made him click his tongue. Why couldn't he remember what happened before that? The accident, Touou, basketball, _Kagami_. Even though he noticed that his feet were a lot lighter than he remembered them to be, a result of his practice obviously against Kagami, he still didn't remember a damn thing.

Satsuki told him, though not by name, about Kagami—about the one guy who relit his passion for basketball. He called her a liar among many cruel things, but she'd been telling the truth all along. Looking back at it, what could she have achieved by deceiving him? She always had his best interest at heart, but he'd done nothing but throw it back at her face. Frankly, it was a miracle that she had yet to give up.

"Dai-chan, are you asleep?" She knocked on the door lightly before opening it and peeking inside to see that it was dark and Aomine was lying on the bed. "You must be tired after today. I'll leave you to it." Her voice was soft as she left him to his own devices.

"Shit," The dark-skinned male turned his back to the window. "I still can't remember anything..."

But his body did. The way it reacted to Kagami's movements in the court, the way his instinct spoke louder than ever. It allowed him to keep up with the NBA player even after not playing for so long. It was as if he'd done it a thousand times before. Even though he could no longer remember Kagami, his muscle memory was adamant to take control.

He knew when Kagami would feint, when he'd dunk or shoot a three-pointer. It was the subtle difference in the way his feet moved or his eyes shifted. Aomine had always been good at reading ahead, but not to this extent. It wasn't just one step ahead, it was five. He was certain that Kagami was surprised too.

With a deep breath, Aomine shot up to a sitting position. He wasn't going to get much sleep at this rate, so he decided to get out of his bedroom just in time for Satsuki to turn off the TV to get ready for bed. When she saw Aomine, she blinked.

"Dai-chan?"

Her friend went straight for the fridge, grabbed a carton of banana milk and sat on the dining table. He then looked at her from the corner of his eyes. "Can you tell me more about my relationship with Kagami?"


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAA oh god, you guys are the best readers ever QWQ  
> The premise of this fic is kinda boring... and amnesia is such an angsty topic, so I was really worried no one was gonna read/enjoy it. I'm super ecstatic to see that.
> 
> Anyway, we're almost at the end. There's gonna be one last chapter and then I might write an epilogue! Or maybe I'll shove them all in the same chapter, depends on how we go. I love you guys <3

***

_Locking yourself in a room  
_ _You searched for my footprints  
_ _Even if you crawled and looked, you couldn't find them_

***

Not a single person Kagami and Aomine knew never made a jab to their intelligence, for some reason. 'Bakagami', 'Ahomine', 'Basketball Idiot', they were practically their second names. Neither boys knew where everyone was coming from since they were plenty smart, _thank you very much_. However, if their adult selves looked back at how they acted when they were mere teenagers, they'd probably say the same thing. After all, they were too stupid to notice what stubborn, prideful men they were, and as a result, everything fell apart.

All because of what? A stupid lover's spat they were too afraid to resolve.

Of course, they'd never admit that they were _scared_ , but what was it, if not fear? They were too young to understand love, perhaps too proud to admit that they have fallen victim to it. It was safer to live in denial of their feelings because if one backed out, they could at least say 'I never liked him to begin with' and save face. They did this in spite of how they'd look at each other every day like they put the sun in the sky. Such longing gaze didn't fool anyone, but for some reason, they were too blind to see it.

"Uhm... Do you have a fever, Aomine-kun?" Kuroko's blank blue eyes were coloured with surprise even after he got over the initial shock of having Aomine invite him out. He always had ulterior motives, but Kuroko didn't think it would be _this._

"What, don't be stupid!" Aomine raised his voice before leaning forward, crossed arms sliding over the table as he did so. "I... I've just never done this, okay? And you know him longer than I have, so I thought..." It was immediately lowered, all while Aomine looked at anywhere but the boy in front of him.

"I didn't think you were the romantic type. I have misjudged you, Aomine-kun." Those were supposed to be sincere, but coming from Kuroko, it sounded mocking.

"Shut the hell up, Tetsu." Aomine groaned in embarrassment, but such crude words didn't faze Kuroko who only laughed in response.

"I didn't mean to insult. On the contrary, I'm impressed. You've grown a little, but I think you're going about this the wrong way."

Hearing the advice, Aomine glanced at Kuroko a little. "...What do you mean by that?"

"You've seen Kagami-kun's apartment. Tell me, how much item does he own?" When the taller one made an 'o' with his mouth, Kuroko decided to continue. "He only has basketball in his head, and..." He tilted his head towards Aomine who still looked at him, confused.

"And what?" He frowned. "Food?"

That made Kuroko sigh. "And you, Aomine-kun."

"...Uh?"

Kuroko somehow refrained from facepalming at the blank look. "Spend the day with him."

"...Hah?" Aomine's expression turned even more puzzled. "I do that every day, why should I do it again for his birthday?"

How was it that these two were dating but everyone else ended up being the frustrated ones? Well, they were too embarrassed to admit to 'dating', but what else should everyone call it? Aomine walked Kagami to Seirin every single day, called him during lunch without fail, waited for him to finish and even slept in Kagami's _one-bedroom_ apartment every night.

They were more lovey-dovey than Kise was with his girlfriend that it grossed Kuroko out sometimes. He could never see Kagami without Aomine anymore—they were like a package deal. You invite one out, you get the other. Aomine claimed he didn't like Kagami _that_ much, but he acted like an overprotective boyfriend. Kagami being Kagami, he didn't realise a single damn thing and got used to his rival hanging over his shoulder every day like it was normal. In fact, the redhead seemed to love Aomine's presence.

"I mean, Kagami-kun takes care of you everyday—cooks for you, cleans the house, does all the chores. Maybe you should take the initiative to—Aomine-kun, please listen to me." However, the Touou ace refused to look at Kuroko. With an offended frown, Kuroko followed Aomine's eyes and they landed at Kagami's figure across the road. He had four bags of groceries, two in each hand and three other people walking next to him.

"Tch." The sound of tongue clicking made Kuroko frown. Not even his most intense glare took Aomine's attention.

"Aomine-kun, you said you and Kagami-kun are not dating."

"We _aren't_!" The blue-haired player quickly snapped. His eyebrows were slanted and teeth grinding against each other in agitation.

"Then why do you look like you're about to personally come over to Kagami-kun and yell at his female acquaintances?"

"I wasn't—" Aomine was about to deny it but seeing how smug Kuroko looked slurping his milkshake only angered him even more.

"I think it's time for you to properly ask him out, Aomine-kun. You are already acting the part, so why not take the title?" Teasing Aomine wasn't something that he had many opportunities of, so Kuroko relished in seeing his friend's flustered expression.

"Mmhm, did I hear a lover's spat?" Satsuki's voice came from next to them and without the need for a response, she made herself at home next to Kuroko. "Kagamin sure is popular! He's respectful and polite, after all... unlike _some_ people."

Feeling like he was being attacked, Aomine glared daggers at Satsuki who remained unfazed. It wasn't like he was unpopular in Touou, but he just never cared enough to respond to the girls. He had a feeling like they were too scared to approach him. It was difficult for anyone holding a fancy 'ace' title in any sports to be unpopular anyway.

"Tch, what's so fun about hanging out with people who can't play basket anyway."

"Awww..." Satsuki had a shit-eating grin on her that infuriated Aomine even more. "I never thought that I'd ever see the day where Dai-chan gets so antsy over someone else. You two are so cute."

Seriously, dating, dating, _dating_. It wasn't only Kuroko or Satsuki, but also Kise and Midorima (who infuriatingly cocked his eyebrows asking 'Huh, you two are not in a relationship?' in a genuine surprise). Then there was his entire _bloody_ team too who always asked him about Kagami during practice. Sure, they practically lived together and had occasional sex, but that didn't mean they _liked_ each other in that way.

"I've had enough of your yammering!" Slamming his hands on the table, Aomine stomped his way outside, leaving Kuroko and Satsuki looking at his back with amusement that soon turned into concern when they saw how upset he looked.

"Did we tease him too much?" Satsuki pursed her lips. Aomine was the type to nor take light-hearted jabs personally, so she thought there was no reason to get worried. But again, they'd never seen their mutual friend in this kind of situation before. They assumed that he'd react normally, but were they mistaken?

Kuroko's silence did nothing to comfort her. He lowered his head and continued sipping on his drinks. "I think we might have crossed the line a little. Let's speak to him before it gets worse." The Seirin student grabbed his bag and paced after Aomine with Satsuki trailing closely behind him.

"Dai-chan, don't be angry!" She said somewhat loudly. "We're joking. Sorry, okay? We won't tease you about Kagamin anymore, so stop frowning."

In response, Aomine glanced back at them and shrugged while saying, "Whatever."

He came home that day in a very, _very_ sour mood. Sitting on the couch while watching the TV, he cursed his friends for being such nosy assholes. It wasn't like he was blind. He could see how domestic this whole situation was, but he would never admit it because that'd only mean being teased some more. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't care, but this was an exception. He'd never felt like this to anyone before and god, it disgusted him to say that he was self-conscious. Him, _the_ Aomine. Self-conscious. What would everyone say?

He was used to being by himself and looking down at everyone that he never considered the possibility of genuinely wanting to be with someone. It was daunting enough that he had to do things uncharacteristic to him like constantly hanging around someone and demanding their attention by bothering them. He didn't need anyone to tell him that to his face. The more everyone teased him about it, the more he started to think that this was a mistake.

"You look like a mess," Kagami said as he set the four bags of groceries on the kitchen bench. "I'm going to marinate the chicken, then let's go play some one-on-one."

"Taiga," Aomine muttered with his heart thumping in his chest. "Do you have any plan to get a girlfriend?"

The question made Kagami frown. "That's a weird question. I don't have time for one, especially not when I have to babysit you."

"So _I'm_ to blame? Then if I leave you alone, you'll get one, is that it?" That came out more aggressive that he meant to be, but it was too late to take it back. Maybe he was annoyed at Kagami's brutal honesty or maybe it was the thought of the redhead with someone else that didn't sit well with him. Maybe a combination of both plus how tired he was of being picked on by Kuroko and Satsuki. "You know, they're not gonna stop making fun of us until we get someone."

_Making fun._

Something inside Kagami snapped at that. Was Aomine that disgusted at the prospect of being seen with him?

That made Kagami cross his arms and glare. "Yeah? Then why don't _you_ get one if you hate it so much? Why do I have to do everything for you? I'm always cleaning after you and it's _exhausting_."

The equally aggressive response only angered Aomine further as he stood up, walked towards Kagami and grabbed him by the collar. "Don't talk like I never do anything for you."

Being known for his hotheadedness, Kagami didn't back down. If anything, what Aomine did only egg him further as shown by how he grabbed his roommate's wrist and squeezed it hard. "What, you do the dishes once a week. You can't even put your own damn clothes in the laundry bin without me screaming at you. Look at this place!" Kagami raised his voice while pointing at the living room with his free hand. "Ever since you came here, it's a _mess_."

"Fuck you." Shoving Kagami away, Aomine grabbed his jacket from the sofa and put it on as he walked towards that door. Usually, he'd fight back, maybe even throw a few punches. However, right now, his heart constricted and he felt himself slowly suffocating. He _knew_ he barely did anything for Kagami, but the reality check hurt him more than he cared to admit.

"Daiki, don't you dare—"

The door was slammed shut before Kagami finished his sentence, and that was when the severity of their argument dawned on him.

They managed to settle everything over a one-on-one in the end, but even after that, the tension between them remained. Be it how everyone around them pressured them to start dating, their combined self-consciousness in this uncharted territory or the half-assed willingness to compromise, that day marked the beginning of their falling out.

.

To this day, Kagami still couldn't get over how _stupid_ the entire thing was. If only he'd backed out a little and gave Aomine some space to breathe, maybe things wouldn't have escalated. As he read articles about retrograde amnesia, the more concerned he was that Aomine wouldn't recall anything.

"You're still up, Taiga?" His team captain, Kye, stirred awake, presumably to use the bathroom. The voice surprised Kagami who immediately slammed his laptop shut. "Heh, what, were you jacking off or something?"

"No!" He immediately denied while Kye laughed as he walked into the toilet. A few seconds later, he could hear the flushing sound and running water before the man came back out. "Uhm, Captain."

"I told you to just call me Kye. What's up?"

"If someone... close to you suddenly forgot about you... Like, amnesia, what would you do?" He muttered weakly. "Oh, but this is purely hypothetical!"

"Sure, sure," He laughed before sitting on the edge of his bed. For someone so big, Kagami always had this air of vulnerability around him that made everyone wanted to protect him. His ferocity in the court didn't translate to real life, it was endearing. "That's an oddly specific question, but I think you'd be able to deal with that just fine. I mean, at times like that, action speaks louder than words, no? Just show them that you two were once close."

"I guess..."

"Well, there's nothing much you can do. Stressing isn't gonna help and it might make your buddy feel bad. Just take it one step at a time, yeah?" Kye shrugged as he slipped under the blanket once more. "Who is it anyway?"

The redhead hesitated a little but decided that there was no point in keeping secrets. "My close friend. Uhm, my _rival_. We used to do one-on-one all the time back when I played for Seirin."

"Ooh, I think you mentioned him before when you first did one-on-one with Clive. He's even more unpredictable than him, huh? That's impressive," He smiled. "Say, is he coming this Saturday? Sounds like an interesting guy."

Aomine's hopeful face from last night popped in his head and Kagami let out a chuckle. "Yeah, I think he will."

"Must suck for your rival to suddenly forget about you."

"Hah, you can say that again. Especially how we didn't part on a friendly term." Kagami rubbed the back of his head as he settled on his bed. The two exchanged good nights, but it wasn't an easy task to fall asleep for him.

The same could be said for Aomine who ended up sitting in the dining room with an empty carton of banana milk. It was 2 AM, yet he didn't want to sleep just yet, not after what Satsuki told him. Apparently her 'condensed version' took almost one and a half hour, but surprisingly enough, it felt too short. For once, Aomine didn't snap at her or accuse her of lying. He only sat and listened to her until she excused herself and withdrew into her bedroom.

His phone was destroyed in the accident, so any photos or videos he had of Kagami went with it. Satsuki, however, still had some clips from some of their many one-on-ones. It was probably telling that Aomine decided he would date Kagami in a heartbeat if given the chance. He might not remember how Kagami was like, but Aomine absolutely loved the redhead's basketball. It was fiery, hot and exciting, which was significant because Aomine thought he'd already forgotten how it felt like to be hyped up by the sport.

Especially playing against Kagami. Just remembering the exhilaration he experienced that evening was almost enough to set aflame something inside him that had been long extinguished. Bringing his hand to his face, Aomine smirked. He was _shaking_. It was like he was dying to touch a basketball right now. So, he did what any sane person would do: call someone at 2 AM.

 _"...Aomine-kun, I should raise my voice right now."_ Kuroko said flatly, but for Aomine who had known the phantom for years, he could hear the anger.

"Tetsu, you up for some one-on-one?" He asked so casually despite that.

_"It's two in the morning."_

"I know. So, are you coming?"

_"No."_

Just before Kuroko disconnected, Aomine stopped him. "Wait, wait, wait! At least... give me Kagami's number," It came out muffled due to embarrassment. He wasn't used to asking for favours. "He hung up!" Aomine was about to face-plant when he heard an incoming text containing Kagami's number. After thanking Kuroko, Aomine immediately dialled him.

Surprisingly enough, Kagami picked up.

"Hey, it's me."

 _"Aomine?"_ The surprised voice was followed with the sound of fabric shuffling, presumably due to him getting out of bed. _"What're you doing still up at this hour? Don't you have work tomorrow?"_

*"*I can only say the same to you. You're training tomorrow, right?"

 _"Yeah,"_ Kagami chuckled, he sounded sleepy but giddy at the same time. _"What's wrong, our one-on-one was too exciting, you can't sleep?"_

"As if, you loser," The light-hearted joke made Aomine grin. "Tetsu gave me your number, in case you're wondering. Anyway, can you come here? I'm feeling a bit restless, and I thought a game would be good to calm me down."

_"As selfish as always, you ass. Fine, give me twenty. I'll meet you there, okay?"_

Once Aomine pocketed his phone, he quickly got changed into his usual black shirt and white pants, then he grabbed a jacket and keys before going out. As a warm-up, he jogged towards the basketball court. He didn't think the redhead would agree, but he did.

Kagami arrived about fifteen minutes later in a cab. He brought his bag with him and the two immediately started playing. Kagami wanted to ask what came into Aomine, suddenly calling him like that even though they just played a few hours ago, but decided that it could wait. Besides, wasn't it a good thing that the blue piece of work want a game?

Basketball with Aomine never ceased to be fun. Even now when the guy couldn't keep up like he used to, it still made him feel full. Speaking of 'keeping up', a satisfied smirk bloomed on Kagami's lips as he felt himself being backed into a corner. It had only been three days, yet Aomine somehow managed to get to an almost even-ground with him. His basket sense and adaptability was _insane_.

It took him so damn long to admit that by himself, he stood no chance against Aomine whose untapped potential would make anyone salivate. If basketball was a one-man game, Aomine would be one of the best.

"Hey, Kagami," Aomine called out amidst his unstable breathing. Both men who had been at it for a full ten minutes non-stop, were now sweating. In their defence, Kagami trained with his team for the whole day and Aomine barely had any stamina anymore ever since he left the sport. "I wanna test something out." He said after wiping his face with his shirt.

"What?" The redhead frowned while walking towards the bench where Aomine sat. He probably needed to give his legs some rest just in case they started acting up again.

"Here." Aomine passed the water bottle when Kagami sat next to him. He watched as his training partner gulped the content down and set it down. That was when he leaned in and closed the distance between them.

To say Kagami was surprised would be an understatement. By 'test something out', he thought Aomine meant something related to basketball, not a good ol' kiss on the lips. However, he couldn't find it in him to pull away. Instead, Kagami sighed into the kiss and cupped Aomine's cheek so he could deepen it.

It was slow, tentative and rough around the edges. It reminded him of the first few times they kissed on this very court. Kagami's heart hammered loudly in his chest. The bastard had been drinking that stupid banana milk that tasted like ass again, but that didn't deter Kagami for once. Instead, he let Aomine push him back on the bench.

With a bite to the bottom lip, the redhead parted his mouth and let Aomine's tongue explore him. Their tongues touched and the roof of his mouth was stroked. Their breathings, laboured as they were, only amplified the heat. Aomine was standing at this point, a leg tucked between Kagami's while the redhead ran his hand along Aomine's spine.

Kagami could hardly think straight. It had been so long since he last tasted Aomine, feel his breath so close to his face and had those calloused hands holding his shoulders still.

"Mm," Pulling back, Aomine licked his lips and smirked triumphantly at Kagami whose face was as the same colour as his hair. "Okay, that didn't feel so bad."

"What the hell?" Not knowing what else to say, Kagami jabbed lightly at Aomine's chest. His lips were a little swollen after the kiss.

That was done in the spur of the moment after seeing how brightly Kagami glowed during their game. "Satsuki told me everything. Well, part of it, at least," Aomine turned his back towards his old friend and looked up at the night sky. "You know I didn't forget you by choice, right?"

"What's this, are you being _nice_ to me?" Kagami teased even though he felt a surge of relief inside him. He knew that, of course, but to hear it from Aomine's lips meant a lot. Not allowing the other to answer, Kagami quickly continued, his smile faltering. "Aomine."

"If you're about to say something stupid, I'm gonna kill—"

"Come back with me to America." It came so suddenly, it even surprised Kagami. It must've been how nostalgic the kiss was, especially because they were standing in the basketball court that was filled with memories. At least for him. How many times had they made out here?

That made the two immediately fell silent. Aomine turned around, eyes wide open and mouth agape in shock at the far-too-sudden proposition. "Oi, oi. I've technically only known you for three days."

"Let's go pro together," Yet another bombshell dropped. Kagami didn't break eye-contact with Aomine once. His hazel eyes stared right into Aomine's dark blue ones. "You told Kuroko and Kise that you were planning to, before this whole thing happened." Said Kagami before chucking the basketball into Aomine's hands.

"I'd never do anything troublesome like that. They must've heard wrong," The tanned male looked away, but didn't stop himself from dribbling and throwing the ball with one hand towards the ring. It made a satisfying bang against the backboard before going in. "Satsuki never told me why we fought."

"It was a stupid reason," Said Kagami as he walked towards the ball that rolled towards him. "Don't sweat it. It doesn't matter anymore."

"If you don't tell me, it might happen again, you know."

"Maybe," The redhead ran towards the ring and dunked the ball. "But we're not kids anymore," Kagami turned towards Aomine with a grin. "I'm sure we can handle it the second time around."

Seeing the confident, almost naïve smile made Aomine let out an amused scoff. "You're weird. Come on, one more!" The former ace lunged towards Kagami and stole the ball.

"Hey, that's cheating!" Chasing after Aomine, Kagami blocked him from going further. The two played for fifteen more minutes before their legs finally complained. Kagami hadn't played that much in a day for so long, he ended up lying on the ground, arms sprawled.

Aomine was next to him and they both said nothing except for their heavy breathing.

"It's already 3. We should get back, Aho," When Kagami turned around, Aomine was already snoring lightly. "How can you sleep in a place like this!?" The rhetorical question fell into deaf ears as Kagami decided that perhaps a five-minutes shut-eye to get rid of this fatigue would be nice.

Satsuki found both Kagami and Aomine lying in the middle of the court in the morning. She freaked out and almost called the ambulance on them.

.

After two weeks of trying to contact Aomine to no avail, Kise gave up. That was last year, though, so he thought maybe he'd have better luck this time, especially when Kagami was here to soften the former ace up. No one really talked about it, but without Aomine, the Miracles get-together was never truly complete. After the third year, everyone stopped trying to invite him because the guy never responded to any of their attempts. The only exception was Kuroko. Even then, he still refused to come.

Kise almost yelled in surprise when his call was answered.

"Aominecchi!!" He yelled anyway. "It's me, do you still remember me? You're so mean, ignoring all my calls like that, I thought you were dead!"

_"If you don't stop, I'm hanging up. What do you want?"_

That was when Kise realised he didn't really have any reason to call his old friend. He just wanted to see if Aomine would pick up or not, but now that he did, he had no idea what to say. "Uuuhm, well, you see..." It was an attempt to buy himself more time. "Ooh! Are you coming to the game with Kagamicchi's team?"

There was a short pause. _"Sure. I guess."_ He then replied.

"No, that won't do! You have to come and—eh?" The blond blinked. "Did you say yes? Did you just say _yes_?" Whatever Aomine said next didn't register because he was too taken aback to listen to anything else. Even when Aomine hung up, Kise still sat there with his mouth wide open.

Did Aomine just agree to meet up with everyone? _The_ Aomine who said no far more than he said yes, the one who refused to pick up calls, dropped off the planet and pushed everyone away, said _yes_?

"Oh, man." The blond grinned to himself as he pocketed his phone. How exciting.

Basketball became a bit less interesting with Aomine out of the picture, but Kise learned to live with it. He remembered not seeing the dark-haired ace in any games and grew concerned, then when Satsuki admitted that Aomine refused to play anymore, his heart sank. Kagami was gone and so was Aomine. The two people he wanted to beat most out of everyone else were no longer there, and while everyone else seemed disinterested, he knew that they were annoyed too.

He knew nothing about what became of the ace, save for the tidbits Kuroko and Satsuki mentioned. What played out was probably what would've happened had Kagami not been in the picture at all. His contempt about the lack of challenge melted into apathy. In retrospect, it was inevitable. There was nothing anyone could do about it since no matter how much trouble the rest of the miracles gave, Aomine's spirit was never lifted for more than one game.

But there was something special about Kagami. The loud, brash redhead searing passion was so infectious, he ensnared Aomine with it. It looked like the same still applied even after five years had passed.

.

It was around nine in the morning when the Bulls showed up in the indoor court they booked in hope of avoiding the paparazzi. They planned on doing warm-ups and some basic drills first before everyone else arrived, but they saw someone else already shooting hoops. His movement was so effortless as he literally chucked the ball like it was garbage, right into the ring.

"Excuse me, we've booked this spot already." Kye said in English, taking the man's attention.

"Aomine, what are you doing here?" Kagami also said in English, then followed it up in Japanese when his old rival looked at him blankly. "Pass."

"I dunno, I got nothing better to do." He shrugged before throwing the ball at Kagami who, without warning, dribbled full speed ahead towards the other ring. Aomine wasn't any slower in reacting. He accelerated forward to block Kagami who spun around, back against his rival.

The sound of sneakers squeaking was loud as the two found themselves in a stalemate where Aomine couldn't steal and Kagami couldn't break the guard. Just like flicking a switch however, Kagami managed a feint and finally broke free. The redhead jumped in an attempt to dunk only to have the ball swatted away. The moment Aomine landed, he was already sprinting towards the other ring with Kagami following closely behind him.

The two battled it out just like before until Aomine decided, fuck it, and jumped backwards before throwing the ball. Kagami who knew what this guy was capable of, was already in the air to stop the shot. It felt like hours before the redhead finally scored. When the ball hit the ground and rolled away, both men laughed.

"That was such a bad excuse. Just tell me you were looking forward to playing me _that_ much," When he turned around to face his team, all of them had a surprised look on their faces. "An old friend. Aomine Daiki. He injured his legs, so he'll probably pass out after ten minutes. If you're looking to do some one-on-one, he might be one of the best partners. You don't want him on your team, though."

"Whaaaat!?" Clive moaned in protest after obviously noting Aomine's interesting playstyle and monstrous speed. "Why not? Are you being stingy, Taiga?"

"No, he's just an asshole. He won't pass the ball to you and he'll hog the spotlight," Explained Kagami in English. He then received a punch to the side. "Ouch!"

"I don't understand what you said, but I feel insulted." Aomine commented flatly.

"Aomine, huh?" Kye smiled thoughtfully. "This must be your rival, Taiga?"

"Yes, captain!" Kagami said as politely as he could. There was something in his eyes that said 'I'm looking forward to seeing what he can do'.

The team then did basic drills while Aomine sat on the bench to observe them. It looked like a lot of effort, and he declined the invitation to join almost immediately. He might be willing to play and watch, but he didn't want to do anything else.

Alone with his thoughts, Aomine's mind wandered to a couple of days ago when Kagami asked him to become pro. While just last week, he'd scoff and call him stupid, now he'd still call him stupid, but he'd probably hesitate a little before that. Being pro sounded like a _lot_ of work, and if what he was watching was a part of it, he didn't know if he wanted it. No doubt that he wouldn't be able to slack too. Making something a full-time job would always be a big commitment. With his current state of mind, it was probably unwise.

His old love for basketball might not be resurrected yet, but one thing he would admit, he enjoyed playing against Kagami. When he leaves next week, it'd return to the same old for Aomine and his job as a police officer. He didn't hate it, but it'd just be a lot more plain without the boisterous redhead. If it was just gonna end right when it was getting started, maybe it would best if they never met to begin with. That'd spare both of them the pain.

With his chin resting on his palm, Aomine pursed his lips. "Why can't I remember a damn thing?" He muttered despite the thrumming of his heart as he saw Kagami enjoying himself. It was like looking into a mirror. In Kagami's shoes, he could see his old self. Had the redhead stayed, perhaps... the accident would never have happened and he'd eventually find that lost passion again. Maybe, they'd be in America right now.

The past few years had been lonely. It got to the point where he even questioned: 'what even is the point anymore' every time he woke up. His life had no purpose. Aside from basketball, he had nothing else. He even cut ties with most of his Teiko friends because he thought he got no business with them anymore. Not like they ever talked about anything but basketball.

In the year that he spent with Kagami, he wondered if he'd wake up feeling revitalised.

 _I didn't know it's even possible to be jealous with yourself_ , he laughed. He couldn't help it. He wanted to be reminded of how it felt to be alive, to wake up looking forward to the day and loving what he was supposed to love.

His train of thought was interrupted when Kagami threw himself next to the spaced-out ex-ace. "They should be here any minute now. You'll play, right?" When Aomine hummed lazily in confirmation, Kagami smiled. "Hey, Aomine," He called out upon remembering what Kise said a few days ago. "Do you wanna try playing with me instead of against?"

"Hah!? That sounds like a pain!"

"Sounds to me like you're scared you're gonna get outdone."

"You bastard... What are you playing at?" The bluenette ground his teeth. He knew Kagami was just trying to rile him up and damn, it worked.

"I wasn't joking when I said you should come to America with me."

In response, Aomine blinked, then he turned away while rubbing the back of his neck. "But why? I... don't even remember you," _And the same thing might happen again._ He didn't know what their fight was all about, but no doubt, he was largely at fault. Even Aomine admitted that he was an egocentric ass. "Why're you so hung up on me?"

Kagami punched the other male's shoulder lightly and grinned. There was no way he'd ever admit to loving the way Aomine's expression would brighten up whenever they'd play basketball together, or how gentle he'd be when he wanted to be. In the year they were together, Kagami saw the faces of Aomine that no one had ever seen, it made him feel special. Looking back at it, he wondered how he was too stupid to see how that smile was only reserved for him. "I'm not hung up on you, asshole."

"Mmhm, not at all." When he turned back around to look at Kagami, the genuine grin the redhead displayed made Aomine's heart race. _Seriously. How is it possible to be jealous of myself!?_ Thinking that his past self got to enjoy that kind of expression made him annoyed at himself.

Funny how only now would Kagami admit to being madly in love with this piece of work. And seeing how flustered Aomine was made him think that maybe not all hope was lost. If Aomine were to never regain his memory, they'd just have to make new ones. Maybe ones without the pain they experienced when they were mere teenagers who couldn't handle their own emotions.

This time, Kagami wanted to make it right.

As the door to the indoor gym was opened tp reveal his former team members, along with Kise and Midorima, Kagami stood up, angled his head towards the court and smiled. "Come on, let's play some basketball."

The sheer radiance of Kagami's smile blinded him. So, with his heart threatening to pop out of his ribcage, Aomine bit his lower lip, nodded and returned the smile with a small one of his own. A flicker of light illuminated his hollowness, showing him an ember that he thought had died long ago.

Maybe America wouldn't be such a bad idea, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, I also thought just the jealousy trope is done to death (but I still love it), so I decided to go with that! I hope it wasn't out of character


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was gonna end it here but the chapter blew up and I ended up with 7.4k words and not even finished yet, so I thought I'll just break it apart!
> 
> Anyway, next chap is definitely gonna be the end! Thank you for reading and commenting, as usual! <3

***

_There's a road that takes me home  
Take me fast or take me slow  
I don't know, we don't know  
Take me home_

***

For the longest time, Aomine felt like he was teetering on the edge of a cliff overlooking a bottomless pit. Everything in front of him was foggy and unclear. He didn't know where to go except forward, but that would only mean certain death.

_Even if I manage to cross, is there anything on the other side?_

As he stood there, he looked back to see if anyone followed. However, there was no one. He was alone, only accompanied by his teammates' voices somewhere behind him. Once upon a time, the path was joyous and filled with colours, but as he walked forward, the crowd thinned out, and the further ahead he ran, the less and less people were there.

When he came about, he had run too far ahead and lost sight of everyone. He was alone here in uncertainty, not knowing if he'd ever see anyone again, and if it was better to quietly wait or just... jump. But what awaited him down there?

"Nothing," Aomine's eyes were only half-open as he looked up at the sky while lying down on the grass in a park. It was his lunch break, so he thought he could get a quick nap in. Unfortunately for him, he was wrong. When a pair of pink eyes stared sceptically at him, he raised his voice. "I said I'm fine! Can you leave me alone?"

"But you can't do anything without me! I was just worried about you..." Satsuki curled her lips and took a seat next to her childhood friend anyway despite the vocal rejection.

"Suit yourself. I'm gonna sleep." The police officer crossed his arms behind his head and leaned back once more.

Silence rolled between them while the girl took a bite of her convenience store bento box. "Ryo-chan called me earlier. He said he's meeting up with everyone this weekend," She smiled and continued when she received no response. "You should come too. It's been a year since you've last seen him, right?"

"Good riddance." Aomine turned his back towards Satsuki and scoffed.

"You don't mean it," She muttered softly, a sad smile on her lips. It bothered her that Aomine so abruptly cut contact with everyone like they were never friends. "They're waiting for you, Dai-chan. I know deep down, you want to see them too."

"Wake me up in thirty minutes." The tanned male simply yawned, then he fell quiet. His chest rose up and down as he tried to sleep.

It _hurt_.

Satsuki choked the quiver in her voice as Aomine completely ignored her remark. Nowadays, she couldn't even face her childhood friend without feeling nauseous. Rather than this apathetic, empty man, she preferred him to argue with her more just like those days in Touou. Because back then, he had more fire in him, even if he used it to burn the one thing he loved down into the ground.

When Kagami arrived and almost gave her the old Aomine back, she was _ecstatic._ She thought that finally, _finally_ everything that she endured paid off. It was going to be like the old days. While Aomine took a bit before starting to practice regularly again, it was a step in the right direction. She watched their backs with gleaming eyes, and she saw how Kagami opened up the path for Aomine—showing him what lied beyond that lonely cliff edge.

But Kagami left before the fog could clear. And along with him, her Dai-chan.

Part of it was her fault. If only she was more careful in the way she broke the news, maybe Aomine wouldn't have run off so recklessly like that. Because he wasn't entirely to blame. He crossed when the pedestrian light turned green, but he just didn't see the drunken man behind that wheel.

Seeing everything fall apart broke her heart to the point where she almost gave up. She couldn't bear seeing Aomine shattered like this, and many times, she wanted to pack up and leave. However, if she did... who would be there for him?

If she left, Aomine would be well and truly alone. She hated seeing him pushing the world away, but what she hated more than that was seeing Aomine standing by himself. No one deserved to be alone. Everyone fell at some point, and when that time came, they had to rely on others to get back up. So, if Aomine fell again and there was no one else with him...

_Thanks for being here._

Those were the words that Aomine could never say. Even though Satsuki had been nothing but kind to him, he couldn't even do that much. Kuroko and she were the only colour in his life, as desaturated as it might be. But in times like this when waking up in the morning was always a chore—no, when he wasn't sure what the point even was anymore, they were the ones who made sure he didn't completely fall into the depth.

It wasn't like Aomine had suicidal thoughts. He wasn't depressed either. He was just... living life. No destination, no purpose. Every day was grey for him and he thought he'd never see colour ever again.

Basketball was the only thing he had, but he let go of it. He thought he could finally find some relief when he ripped the parasite out of him, but what awaited him was the encroaching darkness. He was getting swallowed and it would only be time before he became enveloped in it.

But then _he_ appeared.

.

"Aho, pass!"

For all the protests and complaints, Aomine ended up being in Kagami's team, along with three other members from the Bulls. He hadn't played with a team in so long, he forgot that there were others in the court too. So, his tendency to hog the ball became so bad that Kagami had to constantly remind him that he wasn't the only man standing.

"Hey, watch where you're passing!" The redhead growled when it was chucked so far in front of him, Kise ended up stealing it.

"Thanks, Aominecchi!" The blond smirked as he ran past Kagami only to be double-teamed by two of the biggest players. "Oops!" He then threw the ball right into the very unguarded Midorima's hands.

"Taiga!" Kye called out when he saw that the man who was supposed to be marking the green-head was not there.

"Sorry, captain!" The redhead immediately charged towards the bespectacled man, but it was too late. Midorima did one of his crazy three-pointers from the middle of the court. Just as usual, he turned around before it went in, making everyone gawk in shock.

"You'd best not let your guard down, Kagami." There was challenge and maybe some pettiness behind Midorima's words as he adjusted his glasses.

"Switch, switch!" Satsuki who had been observing the friendly match said before shoving Murasakibara into the court. The blocky male looked disinterested, but the fact that he was here meant he wanted to play too. So, he put his bags of chips and candies on the bench and walked into the court.

The one who swapped with him was Izuki. It had been a while since he played basketball, so stamina was becoming an issue for him. He looked happy to take a breather and watch the Miracles play.

On the court were Kagami, Aomine, Kye and two others from the Bulls. They were going against Midorima, Murasakibara, Kise, Kiyoshi and Kuroko whom everyone seemed to have forgotten about because he stood there unguarded.

The match was something to behold. Even though the miracles didn't practice much anymore, they still managed to keep up with the pros despite how their teamwork really paled in comparison. The only weapon they had, and the one they used, was their unpredictability. No one aside from Kagami and Aomine knew anything about them, and as a result, the beginning of the match no one else but those two could react.

Kagami had improved. A _lot_. He was far more patient nowadays, biding his time before striking, unlike before when he'd thoughtlessly run and waste his stamina. His court-awareness had improved significantly, because Kuroko's presence didn't take him aback as much as it should. While Kise persisted on being a thorn on his side and copying his every move, he was only one person. Kagami utilised his team members to the best of his ability, constantly passing and taking advantage of the cracks in his enemy's poor coordination.

"You're cruel, Kagamicchi," The blond grinned, a little pissed off that his team was losing and even moreso that Kagami could easily find their blind spots and took advantage of it so ruthlessly. "Five years in America has paid off."

"Obviously. I haven't been slacking," The redhead smirked as he tried to get past Kise's blocking. The damn guy copied Aomine's style and it was a massive _pain_ to deal with. "Aho!" Seeing how his rival broke through Murasakibara's guard made Kagami throw the ball towards him.

"Tch." The tallest player clicked his tongue when Aomine slipped past him. The former ace had always been crafty, and Murasakibara wasn't known for his speed.

The pass was the best Aomine ever had. The ball practically landed on the right spot in his palm. He didn't even have to brake to grab it. It was just there intersecting his path so he could focus on getting closer to the ring.

"Ugh," He stopped when he almost slammed into Kuroko who came out of nowhere. "You're challenging me, Tetsu?"

"No," The phantom said flatly. "But he is."

"Shit!" The one second of hesitance he displayed almost cost him the ball. Kiyoshi appeared from behind him and almost knocked the object over, but Aomine managed to move it from his right to the left hand, then he bounced it against the floor towards the redhead behind him.

There was too much strength put into the pass, so it soared high. At that height, only Kagami and maybe Murasakibara could grab it, so the redhead jumped. "Nice pass!" It was the perfect height for him, too. He wasn't sure if it was done intentionally while keeping his playstyle in mind or if it was a fluke. Regardless, he turned and tried to jam the ball into the ring only for Murasakibara to deny him.

"I'm here too." He simply said before grabbing the round object as if it was a burger, then threw it towards Kise who was already waiting across the court.

"Nice, Murasakibaracchi!" The blond smiled, then turned his back to Kye who tried to stop him. He was used to Clive's unpredictability, but he still couldn't handle Aomine's. Naturally, when Kise copied the former ace, he got through the defence fine.

"You're not going anywhere," Kye somehow managed to lean back just enough to slap the ball away, even if he had to fall down. "Clive!"

"They sure are lively..." Hyuuga sat down next to Satsuki and Riko. His game in the other court just finished. It had been a while since he played basketball, so he was concerned that he wouldn't give these professionals enough challenge. However, apparently their big guns were standing in that court along with the rest of the miracles. Although he and his team got their asses handed to them, it was a good workout for both teams.

"Yeah. They sure aren't called professionals for nothing. Kagami's really in the same team as them, huh?" The short-haired brunette muttered while leaning forward. "Still, Aomine surprisingly works well with him."

"Only with him, though," Satsuki giggled when he saw Aomine doing another high pass only Kagami could catch. "They've played each other so many times, they know exactly what the other is capable of."

"Yeah, you're right. I mean, doing a pass so far in front of your target is crazy, but somehow Aomine always gets them." Hyuuga remarked.

"That's because he's fast. Kagamin knows exactly where Dai-chan will be two seconds ahead of time, so he can afford to pass on that spot. That way, Dai-chan doesn't have to slow down," The sigh that came out of Satsuki's lips were dreamy. Seeing Aomine work well with someone else like this really made her giddy with excitement. "And Dai-chan is the type to naturally trust others when he knows that they can hold their own, so he knows that whatever Kagamin gives him, it'll be doable."

"That Aomine? Trust others?" The former captain widened his eyes. That didn't seem like the case back then, even during their third match. He might have been more willing to let others hold the ball, but he never even _looked_ at them.

"Hmm, how do I put it... It's like, when he's with Kagamin, his playstyle changes?" She put a finger on her cheek. "I mean, I've never seen them play on the same team, so this is all new to me too. I guess he's more cooperative because he knows what Kagamin's capable of? So he can freely make the pass and trust him to do something with it."

While the ones on the bench chatted away, the game ended with the Bulls emerging victorious by a small margin. As expected, individual power alone wasn't enough, no matter how good the miracles were. Kise looked annoyed and he threw a tantrum to Midorima while Murasakibara went back to the bench to refuel.

"Taiga, Taiga," Kye waved at Kagami to come to him. The redhead widened his eyes curiously as he paced towards his captain. "How bad is your friend's injury?"

"I think it's mostly healed, but if he wants to make a full recovery, Momoi said it's a gradual one. So, the more he exercises, the faster he will get back to a hundred percent. She said maybe in a year he'd be fine... or something," The redhead recalled the information. "Why?"

"Hm, I was thinking of maybe asking him to do some one-on-one against some of our team me—"

"WHOA!! Seriously!?" Kagami cut his captain mid-sentence and his loud voice grabbed everyone's attention. It wasn't often that his captain make that kind of proposition, after all, so he must've seen something interesting in Aomine. That sparked Kagami's hope just a little. If his team was interested in recruiting Aomine, then... _Wait, wait. I'm getting ahead of myself._ "Uhh, sorry. I mean, yeah! I think that's a good idea. He's a good player."

 _He's damn good,_ Kye thought to himself. Especially how well he meshed with Kagami, making insane passes that no one else would dare to do. If Aomine lobbed that ball even one centimetre higher, Kagami wouldn't be able to grab it. If Kagami threw it one centimetre further, Aomine wouldn't be able to catch it. They knew each other's plays like the back of their hands, and honestly, Kye was interested to see what else they were capable of.

Actually, everyone in this room was _amazing_. There was Kise and his annoying copycat skill that he'd never seen before. Murasakibara had the build and power to be the most annoying player in the court. Kuroko disappeared and appeared at will with his accurate passes, it could serve as a dangerous weapon. Midorima had the ridiculous shoot accuracy from anywhere in the court. Then there was Kiyoshi too, and of course all the other Seirin members.

"You're really friends with so many monsters, Taiga!" The captain slapped Kagami's back and laughed. "And no wonder nothing can faze you. I mean, you've been playing with so many interesting players," He turned around to see everyone blending in, chatting like they had known each other for years. "So, any reason why they're not pros? Even at this age, I think many teams will want to scout them."

"Life... I guess." Kagami shrugged. He never really asked either because he thought everyone had their own reason to not pursue basketball. Maybe it had something to do with how much they love it to want to turn it into a full-time job. Most of the miracles stopped playing during college, and even though they received a few scouting requests, they always turned them down. "And most of them have settled here, even have partners, so I don't know if they..."

"What about Daiki, then?"

"Eh?" Kagami blinked, then that hope bubbled again. "Captain, are you scouting him?"

"Well, it's just a thought. I mean, he's still got ways to go, in terms of teamwork, but his individual skill is great," Kye smiled. "And I can see how excited you are with him in the court. If nothing else, I guess he can make you play the way you did today. That was probably one of the best performances I've seen you put."

"I-I wasn't that excited..." Kagami rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment despite knowing deep down, it was true. When two fires butt head, something was bound to happen, after all.

"Mmm, I see someone's blushing..." Clive appeared out of the blue and hooked an arm around Kagami's shoulders. "So, is he really your rival or is he—ow!"

After giving the small forward a chop on the head, Kye shook his head. "Don't pry, you child."

"Buuuut, I've never seen Taiga acting like that before. He's always so serious during training, I thought he can't smile for a whole two weeks! Do you know how scary it was? It's bad enough that you're stockier than most basketball players, but the way you'd always scowl is even worse!" Clive curled his lips into a pout that reminded Kagami a lot of Kise when he didn't get his way. And about the whole frowning thing... well, that might be right. He was in a bad mood those first few weeks, all because Aomine _still_ had yet to contact him. "But with that Aomine dude, you had this huge grin, you know? Like you're having the time of your life."

"No way!" The redhead's face turned beet red at that, and he glanced at the opposite side of the court to see Aomine staring right back at him while wiping his sweat using his black shirt, revealing his flat no-muscle, stomach thanks to his nonexistent training regiment. The two immediately turned away. "I mean... it'd be nice, I guess, to see him going pro too. Especially when..." _when he looks so damn lifeless when I met him._ It was an entirely different Aomine than the one he was used to seeing.

"Aominecchi, you're staring again!" Kise nudged the former ace with his elbow.

"Shut up, I'm not staring." Ashamed of being caught, Aomine quickly looked away and gulped a mouthful of water.

"Still, it really reminds me of high school. You two were always so cute together, especially the way you looked at each ot—" Kise suddenly snapped his mouth shut and bit his lower lip for good measure. "Uhm, sorry." He rubbed the back of his head.

"For what?" That apology took Aomine by surprise.

"I mean, the fight was partly my fault..." The blond muttered. He teased Aomine so much because he'd never have thought that the boob-fanatic would end up falling for a guy, of all people. Besides, he enjoyed his friend's reaction that only affirmed his belief that the two were madly in love. Granted, he wasn't the only one who wouldn't stop going on and on about it.

"Did Kagami-kun tell you, Aomine-kun?" Kuroko suddenly showed up next to them, making them both jump. "About what happened, I mean."

The question made Aomine look at Kagami who was still busy with his teammates, then he leaned back on the bench. "Not really. He said it doesn't matter anymore."

"Then let's save the apology, Kise-kun. Coming from us, it's just going to confuse him." Said Kuroko even though he had been dying to apologise too. He'd already done that to Kagami, but if Aomine didn't remember, then there was no point. He could just wait, he supposed. Kagami must have a reason behind his decision of keeping it a secret.

"Wait, wait, you can't just start then not finish it!" The former ace sharply cut.

"But you better not disappear again when Kagamicchi leaves," Kise crossed his arms and stared at his friend accusingly. "It hurts you know, being ignored like that." He said it in such a childish tone, it was difficult for Aomine to feel any guilt.

"Don't hold your breath, Kise-kun. We both know how Aomine-kun is like. He'll probably lock himself in his room and sulk." There was something infuriatingly mocking behind Kuroko's words that made Aomine scowl.

"I will _not_!"

"You should just go back with Kagami-kun," Said the phantom quietly, his eyes looking straight at Aomine's. "Ah, that might be insensitive, considering you don't remember him, but..." He hesitated a little, but his flat lips soon curved to form a small smile. "You might not notice it, but you've been smiling a lot more since he returned."

_Ah. Have I?_

Aomine touched his lips reflexively and frowned. Yeah, he supposed he had. How could he not? Kagami was like a breath of fresh air. The guy was never scared of bickering with him, and might even _like_ it, considering how many times he intentionally tried to rile him up. There was something unbreakable about the redhead, but the way his eyes shone after they kissed showed something else underneath that tough persona. That gleam was nostalgic, even for him who didn't remember anything. When Kagami looked at him like that, he didn't know how to react.

And... Kagami would leave in a few days. Who knew when he'd return again? Maybe even never. To begin with, he didn't belong in Aomine's boring life. Kagami was too bright, and Aomine would just hold him back.

He didn't realise how hard he was squeezing his water bottle until liquid spurted out of the nozzle and wet his face. "Fuck!" He quickly wiped them off while Kise laughed hysterically and Kuroko tried to not laugh. "Stop laughing, you two!"

"You had fun playing today, right, Aomine-kun?" Kuroko asked with a smile. When Aomine turned his head away and scoffed, he knew he was right.

.

It had been five days since the match that left everyone hungry for more. They didn't manage to completely avoid the reporters, and Kise's presence wasn't helping too. He was a model, so naturally, he'd have a few already stalking him. Well, all of them knew they wouldn't be able to avoid the encounter anyway.

But Aomine had a surprisingly good time, although he would never admit it out loud. It was nice seeing everyone again, and he was surprised how quickly the conversation flowed. It was like they were never estranged to begin with. Even when Kagami was distracted by his team crowning him as the translator and ended up not talking to Aomine much, he didn't feel out of place. And although he stopped playing basketball, his friends didn't care. They were the same as always, and Aomine felt stupid for even thinking they'd act any differently.

After so long, he finally found the courage to talk to his Teiko friends again. Being in that court, he felt grounded for the first time in years. But who knew what would happen once Kagami left. Maybe this day would just be chalked off as an anomaly and he'd go on living his empty life. It wasn't like he made any promises to keep in touch... and basketball without Kagami would be boring, so there was no point in picking it back up.

"Oh, that reminds me. I saw you in the TV on the weekend. I didn't know you play basketball." Aomine's co-worker commented when he saw his buddy munching on some store-bought onigiri while scrolling through some articles about the friendly match a few days ago.

"Huh? Yeah. I guess I do." Said Aomine like it wasn't a big deal.

"You kept up with a pro team, you know! Why aren't you more excited? And more importantly, why aren't you a pro if you're that good?" He elbowed Aomine who clicked his tongue and threw his hat on the table.

"None of your business!" He scowled.

"What, but it's way cooler than getting stuck here. You've been playing with them too in the evening, haven't you?" Grabbing his friend's shoulder, he grinned. "Hey, hey. Get me Taiga's signature. I'm a huge fan."

"Huh!? Why would I do that for you? Ask him yourself, idiot!" The dark-skinned officer groaned even though he was brimming with pride when someone complimented Kagami. Wait, why was he the one feeling good when it wasn't even him who was being praised?

"Come on, don't be so stingy..." He stretched on Aomine's desk, practically obstructing him. "So? Why aren't you a pro?"

"I don't play anymore. Isn't it obvious?"

"Why not?" He pressed. "Is it your legs? Sa-chan said it'll get better if you work it out, right?"

"Huh? ' _Sa-chan'_!? When did you get so close to her, you start using nicknames?" He asked defensively despite knowing everyone here was quite taken by his childhood friend. She would visit often, bringing confectionaries plus her bright smile that seemed to revitalise everyone. They were good guys, but Aomine didn't want Satsuki to get with any of these creeps.

That was when the door to the break room was pushed open to reveal a chubby police officer with balding spot and grey hair. "Daiki, someone's looking for you."

"Satsuki again?" Aomine leaned back on his chair and rolled his eyes. What now?

"Ha! No, not your girlfriend this time, hotshot." His higher up put a hand on Aomine's back and pushed him towards the door when the guy stood up.

"She's not my girlfriend, how many times do I need to repeat that?" When his frustration was replied with laughter, he growled. Behind him, his friend followed with an obnoxious grin. When Aomine reached the waiting area, he had a scowl that soon melted into a look of surprise, and his heart began to thump loudly. "Kagami, what are you doing here?"

"WHOA! It's _the_ Tiger in flesh!" Aomine's friend had a starstruck look on his face as he scrambled for a pen and paper to get a signature but couldn't find any.

"What's with you, you never talk about him and now you're acting like you're his biggest fan," Aomine told his friend off before turning towards Kagami. "What's up?" The redhead was wearing a black cap and shades like he was a suspicious character. He had a varsity-style jacket with a black shirt and baggy jeans. It was a poor disguise that didn't fool any reporters following him. "No offence dude, but you're really attracting some attention out there." He pointed at the very inconspicuous cameramen.

"Oh, uh, sorry, I just wanted to..." There was a brown folder on his lap that he was clutching, but his grip soon relaxed. "Actually, you wanna go to Maji?"

Aomine looked at the wall clock and nodded. "I just ate, but okay. I've got thirty minutes of lunch break left. That enough for you to scarf ten burgers?"

"More than enough. C'mon!" Kagami lightly punched Aomine on the shoulder, then the two left.

The nearest Maji was five minutes away, but the entire time Aomine noticed that Kagami was acting weird. The redhead was fidgety and wouldn't look at him even when they were having a conversation. It got really annoying to the point that Aomine had to address it.

"You look like you need to piss really badly."

"What!?" Kagami took off his shades and glared at his rival. "No, I was just distracted." He scratched his head, looking away in embarrassment. The tinge of pink on Kagami's cheeks made Aomine bite his lips.

_God, he's so cute._

They soon drew closer to Maji, and the entire time, Kagami's mind was filled with emotions. It had been so long since he ate with Aomine in the burger shop. They used to go every time, so this was extremely nostalgic for him. Then, of course, there was the matter of the kiss they had yet to talk about. Or the brown folder in his hand that he was about to give Aomine. Or how good Aomine looked in a uniform.

"Your appetite, seriously..." The tanned one of the two sat on the booth seat after they received their meals. It was hilarious how the cashier stammered out Kagami's order in confusion, obviously not understanding how one man could eat that much. "I'm full just watching you gorge yourself."

"Good because I'm not sharing," Kagami said with his mouth full. "You're not with Momoi?"

"Contrary to the popular belief, I'm not with her all the time. Do you know how much shit I have to deal with because she doesn't wanna leave me alone? Everyone keeps saying she's my girlfriend and blergh!" Aomine stuck out his tongue. "That's like dating your own sister. Gross."

"Well, who else is gonna babysit you while I'm not here?" When the redhead laughed, Aomine felt his heart skipping a beat.

"I can take care of myself."

"Uh-huh," Kagami snorted before unwrapping another burger and his face turning stiffer. "I'm leaving tomorrow." He said quietly, then looked at Aomine as to gauge his reaction.

That statement made the former ace fall silent. He had his head resting on his palm and he looked out of the window to let that sink in a bit more.

"You'll be okay, right?"

"'m not a baby," Aomine mumbled despite the discomfort in his stomach. In front of him, Kagami chuckled, but it didn't sound amused. If anything, Kagami seemed worried. "Uh, thanks," It was so quiet, the redhead needed a few seconds to understand what he said. "For dealing with me this week or so."

"Geez, it won't kill you to say it louder, y'know?" After the third burger, Kagami grabbed the brown folder from next to him and slid it towards Aomine.

It was a registration form and an information package to sign up for a month-long trial period with Kagami's basketball team. Nothing else needed to be said, and it was probably a good sign that Aomine didn't straight up laugh. Instead, he flicked through the document thoughtfully.

Apparently Kye had a talk with the manager and the coach about potentially recruiting Aomine. After seeing what the guy was capable of, they didn't seem to have any problem approving it. Aomine's freestyle was unorthodox and most teams would hesitate to offer a position because it was uncharted territory. Good form led to good techniques, and Aomine didn't have the former. There was no telling how far he'd be able to take that kind of style, and the backlash from hardcore fans might prove to be bad, but they were willing to take the gamble. It had the potential to really screw up the opponent's momentum and throw everything into chaos. Maybe even be a double-edged sword when not played right.

However, Kagami said none of that. Instead, he only watched as Aomine neatly tucked everything back into the folder and scratched his head. "Why did we fight, Kagami?"

"It's not—"

" _Tell_ me," Aomine pressed. "I deserve to know."

"Honestly, I don't know what happened," Admitted Kagami after a few seconds of silence. Burying his face in his hands, he continued. "One day we just blew up. I mean, it's nothing new, but that time, it was bad." He didn't want to tell Aomine because he was afraid of finding out the truth behind it. And also, Aomine had no recollection of the time, so what was the point? "Uh... I dunno, it sounded to me like you didn't wanna be seen with me?"

"What?" That made the skinnier one frown. Why the hell wouldn't he wanna be seen with a guy as amazing as Kagami?

"I mean, we were teenagers and you've always been known to like big boobs. I guess maybe it's some sort of reputation thing?" He didn't understand either. It was all just speculation but this just sounded like he was insulting Aomine.

"Haah? If I care so much about reputation, you'd think I wouldn't be such a hot fucking mess."

That comment made Kagami snort. He choked on his burger and had to take a large gulp of cola to calm down. "You said it, not me."

Aware that he just shot himself on the foot, Aomine hissed. "Shut the hell up."

But what Aomine said was true. The guy never cared about other people's opinions of him. He didn't know why he'd even think that. But if that wasn't the case, then what? Sure, Kuroko and Satsuki said something about peer pressure...

"Well, the fight got really bad. I think one of us ended up with a broken nose. Kuroko and Satsuki had to literally force us apart and didn't let us see each other for three whole days until we calmed down," The memory brought a mix of regret and amusement. "But when we saw each other again, neither of us wanted to be the first to speak. So we ended up just hanging out in silence. Which was funny because nothing changed. I still cooked your favourite food, we still played one-on-one and you still give me that back massage but we just... didn't talk."

"Pbbht," Aomine threw his head back and laughed. Yeah, that sounded about right. He and Kagami were very similar in personality. "So, what was the snapping point?"

That was the trigger question. All sort of amusement faded away from Kagami's eyes, and the twinkle in his eyes was replaced with sadness that made Aomine regret ever wanting clarification.

"Well, after a few days of the silent treatment, you stopped coming over," Kagami muttered. "Apparently you decided to pull a dick move on me and started seeing a random chick I've never even seen before." He remembered how much he tried to contain his anger that day when he saw Aomine kissing someone else near Touou.

The only thing that stopped him from slamming his fist into Aomine was the fact that they weren't even officially dating. Getting upset over what wasn't there would make him look stupid. So, he only stared at them. The look Aomine gave him was one of horror like he was a kid who got caught stealing candy. He stood there, hands on the girl's cheeks while Kagami fumed in anger, disappointment, _betrayal_.

"I'm sorry," Aomine's voice brought Kagami back from the bad memory. "Uh, I mean... I don't remember it, but I didn't mean to do it. Probably." He mumbled while rubbing the back of his head. It wasn't often that Aomine admitted to doing something wrong, so for a moment, Kagami looked at him incredulously.

Then he started laughing. "What kind of half-assed apology was that?"

"Hey, it's the thought that counts! Besides..." While chewing on the straw on his drinks, he said, "Why the hell would I want to cheat on you."

Kagami felt his heart soaring at that, but he quickly stopped it before he got ahead of himself. "What, did I make you fall for me all over again, Aho?"

"As if, you ass!" The tanned male slammed his fist on the table defensively, but there was no bite to it. "Ugh!" He stood up just in time for Kagami to finish the last of his burger. "I'll... think about it, okay?" He said tentatively while referring to the contract given to him in that brown folder. "What time's your flight?"

"Tomorrow morning at eight." The redhead somehow managed to maintain a somewhat coherent mindset despite being shocked at what Aomine just said.

"Then, I'll see you off. Bye." Hitting the edge of the folder against Kagami's head, he walked away with his other hand in his pocket.

Kagami didn't move even after he heard the automatic door closing behind him. His fingers were tightly curled into balls and he was biting his lower lip as to not let anything slip. This is how it was supposed to be. Kagami was supposed to tell Aomine that he was leaving. Aomine was supposed to see him off. They were supposed to talk about their problems and stop fighting like stupid little kids. Funny how it took five years and an amnesia to feel like he was finally doing something right.

In a way, the fact that Aomine couldn't remember shit made Kagami a little relieved too. It made it easier to ease into a conversation that wasn't fuelled with mutual bitter memories.

"I can't believe I didn't refuse him straight out." Aomine glanced at the folder once more. He still wasn't sure if he was cut out for the pro life, so he would need a long while to think about it. No doubt Satsuki and his Teiko friends would help him out.

But he knew the reason why he was more agreeable. He was so damn tired of waiting for _something_. The brick wall he built around himself was getting old, so he might as well take it apart himself.

With a lazy hum, Aomine walked back towards the police station. He couldn't wait to see the look on Satsuki's face when he showed her this document.


	6. Chapter 6

***

_I forgot to say out loud how beautiful you really are to me_  
_I can't be without, you're my perfect little punching bag_  
_And I need you, I'm sorry._

***

"Did you drink too much again last night?" Clive fashioned a shit-eating grin while he followed Kagami towards their practice court. The redhead had eyebags and his cheeks looked a bit sunken. "For a big dude, you get drunk so easily."

"S-shut—" He put a hand over his mouth when he felt bile rising. "Shut up. This is your fault. I told you it's better if I leave early because I know we have practice today. And why aren't you hungover? You drank way more than me!"

The springy platinum blonde laughed and ran ahead of Kagami as if to sprinkle salt over his wound. "Because I'm not a loser like you. C'mon, you'll feel better after you do some light exercise."

"Captain's gonna chew me out..." The thought of being lectured paled Kagami. It was his teammate's birthday yesterday, so everyone decided to go for drinks. Kye told them to go home before it got too late, but Clive being Clive, got a handful of people together for an afterparty at his place. Most of them were smart and refused to drink too much, but they somehow talked Kagami into drinking one shot after another.

"This is why you should build your tolerance! You always refuse the invitation to drink with us, so serves you right." Kagami yelped when he was yanked forward by the wrist by Clive. They took the cab there that morning, just in case their blood alcohol level was still high.

"I don't wanna be an alcoholic like you. Besides, drinking out is _expensive_! You should start saving up for after you retire." The redhead scolded, but Clive only rolled his eyes in response.

"Sometimes I wonder who's the older one between us. You look like a pimp, but you're just a mum. Imagine how disappointed the girls are."

"Clive, I'm gay. I don't care how _disappointed the girls are_."

"Touché," He laughed as they entered the practice area and headed for the locker room. "Well, I think we're almost late, so let's hurry up." By the time they were ready, they could hear shoes squeaking against the polished wooden floor, followed by the bounce of basketballs. The area was big, there were three courts and some steps that served as chairs. There were also some trusses supporting the roof and big industrial lights hanging off them. On the floor was a huge decal of their team logo. "Huh, Kye's not here yet."

"That's uncharacteristic." He looked around the court as he began stretching his arms and legs.

"Coach isn't here either. Maybe..." Clive pressed his fingers against his chin and hummed. "Maybe they got drunk too."

"Dream on." When he finished the sentence, the metal door behind him was pulled open again, revealing the captain and the coach.

"Morning, Taiga. You look like you're about to pass out, but I'll lecture you later about the importance of not getting smashed before practice," There was a coldness behind the sentence that sent a shiver down Kagami's spine. And Clive's too because he was already trying to escape, but Kye stopped him by clicking his tongue. "You're not off the hook either, problem child. I'll see you after practice."

"Y-yessir!"

"Well, enough about Taiga and Clive's misadventure, everyone gather around!" Just like that, everyone in the room stopped what they were doing and walked towards the entrance where Kye and the coach stood.

"I'm sure you all know our big game is in a month," The coach smiled. "It's not going to be easy, so I expect all of you to sharpen your weapons diligently." It was replied with collective nods and hums of agreement. No one in this room was a slacker, and Kagami was exuberant to have such motivated teammates.

"And we can't just keep repeating the same strategy. Our opponents grow by the minute, so we need to always have a secret weapon," With his arms crossed, Kye winked at Kagami, then looked behind him. "In saying that, we'll have a member joining us on a trial basis. I hope that you'll get along with him."

Kagami's heart beat loudly at the implication. He wet his lips and opened his eyes wide while watching the two intently. No, it couldn't be, right? No one had said anything about it, so he really shouldn't get his hopes up. It had been about five months since he left Japan, and Aomine gave no indication that he'd join Kagami in the spotlight even though they find time to speak every day, even with the time difference. Truth be told, the redhead almost gave up hope.

But there he stood. His dark blue hair looked as soft as ever and while his bangs had grown a little, nothing about him changed. His skin was still that beautiful bronze colour, eyes such mesmerising shade of navy. Not to mention that infuriating cocky smirk that he always fashioned. He was dressed in his casual black tee and white shorts with a sling bag around him, an easy smirk adorning his lips.

"Yo." He simply said.

"Daiki!" Clive was, expectedly enough, the first to react. He immediately walked towards Aomine and dragged the man inside the court. "Good, you're here. You have no idea how much Tai—mmmph!"

"Clive, not one more word or you'll be doing nothing but laps today. It's bad enough that you tainted the sweet Taiga with your alcoholism, now you're about to..." Kye practically grabbed the guy by the ear and another hand over his mouth. Their voices became muffled as they walked further away from everyone else who just snickered at the blond's antics.

"What the hell, dude?" Kagami looked _offended_ by Aomine's sudden appearance. "You didn't tell me you were coming? Some friend you are. We agreed that no more secrets, right?"

"Yeah, but that's usually how a surprise works." The tanned male quipped while he set down his bag and stretched his arms before joining the others who were still standing there with excited smiles.

"You're Taiga's friend?" A few people immediately crowded Aomine and Kagami. There were a lot of questions thrown his way simultaneously, but one was louder than the others. "What position do you play?"

"Do you need translation, idiot?" The redhead smirked condescendingly, making Aomine roll his eyes. Kagami knew it wasn't necessary, though. Aomine might act stupid, but English was the one thing he didn't flunk, probably thanks to those movies and TV series he binged every day because he claimed he wanted to see the sex scenes.

"Power forward." He said, voice thick with Japanese accent that it made Kagami snort.

"Finally, someone to take Taiga down a notch or two. I hope you're better than him 'cause we're tired of seeing him on the court." They joked while exchanging playful jabs with Kagami who looked a bit more annoyed than usual.

"What's the score again, I think I'm leading by thirty points?" The tanned one winked before nodding at everyone else. "'Course I'm better than this deadweight."

"Trust me, you guys don't wanna play with him," Said Kagami as he continued warming up with Aomine. Some of the players had left to resume their drills. "You've been briefed?" He glanced at Aomine while the rest of the players dispersed.

"More or less. They're gonna watch my performance and see if they want to extend the contract or not. Guess I gotta get my ass moving, for once in my life?"

That made Kagami chuckle, but soon, his scowl returned. "So why didn't you tell me you were coming?"

"I told ya it's a surprise. You should've seen the look on your face, it was eleven out of ten," Aomine did a chef's kiss while Kagami elbowed him. "I'm bunking with you, by the way."

"The fuck, you dolt? You ever considered that I might have a roommate?"

"Fine, I'll just sleep outside your door. That way you can cry yourself to sleep because you feel guilty that didn't let your best friend in."

"Then go catch a cold for all I care," At the scandalised expression Aomine gave him, Kagami snorted and prepared himself to jog around the court. "I'm not carrying your stuff, okay?" Then, he started to run with Aomine following him with a grin.

.

By the first week, everyone understood what Aomine was capable of. More and more of the members began asking him for one-on-one's that Aomine begrudgingly agreed to thanks to the combined stares of the coach, Kye and Kagami. He knew he had to show everyone the extent of his ability for his contract to be extended.

He had to admit, though, that having his dick sucked felt pretty good. Well, not _literal_ sucking. A lot of the members tried to get on his good side just so they could play him, but of course, Kagami remained a popular choice too, especially for those who aimed to be centre or power forward. He learned that Kagami was easily the team's 'baby'. Not by age, but by how much everyone coddled him.

They all fed him food, probably just to laugh at how much his cheeks puffed up, crowded him during breaks to keep him company, even crashing at his place to make sure he wasn't alone even though Kagami was a perfectly capable individual who wouldn't break at the prospect of sleeping by himself.

"How many guys have you slept with, Sluttygami?" Aomine snapped when he saw another pair of boxer that clearly wasn't Kagami's size getting mixed in the dresser.

"Different guy every night." The redhead chortled as he grabbed his teammate's underwear and stuffed it in his duffel bag to be returned tomorrow

"Jesus, your ass must be damn loose."

"Shut up, dickhead. I'm not like you," Kagami grinned before returning to the kitchen with Aomine behind him. He could count the number of times he'd actually have sex with someone in his two hands, over this past five years. "Can't fault them for loving my cooking. They always come back for more."

Well, Kagami's cooking really was **to die for. Even Aomine had to admit that. And the fact that he'd take time to bring some homemade snacks to practice for everyone to enjoy probably was the reason why everyone babied him. And speaking of practice...

"My whole body is sore." He groaned. Not even those six months in the gym could prepare him for the brutality of professional training. Drills after drills, practice game after practice game, it drained every little bit of energy he had and some nights, he wondered if it was even worth the effort.

"Of course it is," Kagami frowned in response of Aomine's thinking-out-loud like it was the most obvious answer ever. "What good is individual skill if you can't share it with others?"

"Beat everyone to the ground with it?"

"This is why you have no friend," The redhead scoffed only to get his leg kicked. "If I drop this knife on your foot, it's your fault."

Aomine stuck out his tongue before going back to the chair and flicked through a movie magazine he bought earlier, all while Kagami prepared dinner. Stuffed chicken was already in the oven, and he was currently making some garden salad to go with it. On the bench, creamy and smooth mashed potato was ready. There was music playing in the background as they remained silent for a while. The comforting noise of knife against the chopping board and pages being flipped filled the room, making Kagami aware of how domestic this whole situation was.

After that kiss in the court back in Japan, Aomine had yet to do anything. It didn't look like he regretted it, so maybe he was just hesitant to push things along, Kagami decided. Besides, Aomine was content sleeping with him at ni—

W _ait... this situation feels familiar._

Kagami almost face-palmed himself but he remembered he was holding a knife, so he refrained himself from doing that. This was exactly how it was five years ago! The redhead held his tongue before he could curse. He'd have to speak with Aomine later about what the hell this arrangement was supposed to be.

"Are you dating Clive?"

That made Kagami almost cut the entire _bloody_ chopping board off. Turning around with disbelief in his eyes, he glared at Aomine who looked startled.

"What? That was just a question!"

"Why in the _world_ would I date him? Besides, he's engaged already. You saw his fiancé yesterday, they were sucking each other's faces off!"

"Well, maybe you're in a threesome kinda deal. I dunno!" Aomine raised defensively as he closed his magazine and returned the glare with an embarrassed one of his own. "You never talked about your love life, so I just assumed, okay?"

"Well, assume _smarter_ , asshole."

"But she sure is an appetiser, main and dessert all in o—Kagami, don't be holding your knife like you're about to shank me, dude, I was just kidding!" Aomine lifted his hands when the redhead pointed the sharp object at his roommate to get him to shut the hell up. However, his expression soon shifted to one that was more mischievous. "Are you _jealous_?"

"W-what?" That reaction certainly left Kagami no room for a follow-up.

"You _are._ " Aomine stood up and walked towards Kagami as he turned around. Not wanting to give up, the less muscular of the two wrapped his arms around Kagami, practically making the redhead his little spoon.

"I hate you so damn much," With a growl, Kagami continued cutting the lettuce and dumping them in a bowl before going for the cherry tomatoes. Even though he was still annoyed, he decided to move the topic along to avoid further embarrassment. "You haven't told me what made you decide to join the team."

Aomine was content to observe Kagami preparing the salad from behind his shoulder. Those sinful hands were now idly stroking his waist up and down, sending a shiver down his spine. "Satsuki pretty much packed my bags herself. I asked Tetsu for help, but he ended up helping _her_ pack my bags."

Kagami snorted as he put all the tomatoes in the bowl. "Yeah, sounds about right."

"Asshole." Aomine squeezed Kagami's waist as he thought back to the time when he planned to think about it first. Satsuki gave him no breathing room. Instead of consultation, she sent him to the nearest gym to start getting back into shape, even calling her partner-in-crime, Riko to supervise. Over the years, the two had gotten close, it seemed.

But whenever he came home all tired, she always had this _huge_ relieved smile on her face. She even made it a habit to prepare some, _thankfully_ , takeaway food for him for dinner. Everything was balanced, good for building muscles. Honestly, Aomine didn't know what to do. That was the happiest Satsuki looked in _years_ that he ended up asking if she really wanted to kick him out that badly. Of course, it was replied with a hit on the head.

He didn't want to tell Kagami about it yet, because one: he wasn't sure if he was really gonna go ahead with it, and two: because he wanted it to be a surprise if he _did_ go. Instead, he sneaked in some questions about the training regiment that his team did on a daily basis. It was a lot. Too much for the lazy Aomine, but honestly? It gave him a sense of purpose. He lived his life kicking back and not worrying about a single thing to the point where it became awful. Had it not been for Satsuki's constant nagging, he'd probably go insane.

Of course, he told Kagami none of that. Instead, he buried his nose in the curve of Kagami's neck and inhaled gently to catch a whiff of his coffee-scented body wash. His grip around Kagami became tighter and he closed his eyes. He'd never admit that he came to America just so he could get his shit together again. And Kagami looked like the guy who could help him do just that. Well, if he did that once, surely he could do it again?

"What's up, you sap?" Kagami teased, making Aomine snort. "Go sit, food's ready." As Aomine released his grip, Kagami breathed out in relief. His face was beet red. If Aomine saw it, he'd never hear the end of it.

"Fuck, it's so good." Aomine moaned after taking one bite of the Kagami special dinner. Obviously, the whole chicken was gonna get finished tonight thanks to their combined appetites.

"All the training's killing you?"

"It sucks ass. I wish I could just skip, but..." the level was damn high. If he slacked for even a second, he'd get left behind. Not like Aomine would ever admit it. "I guess even a genius needs some practice too, eh?"

That made Kagami roll his eyes, cheeks full of food like a chipmunk. He watched while Aomine wolved down his portion of food and grabbed another chicken thigh. His eyes were sparkling with happiness as he ate that Kagami couldn't help but smile. "You know... it used to be like this. Us."

Aomine looked up.

The thought of the past made Kagami chuckle. "We lived with each other. I'd cook for you and we'd play basketball together. We'd even sleep together. And after all these years, you still do shit-all."

"Shut up, I help you vacuum!"

"Yeah, yeah." It was true that Aomine took it upon himself to clean sometimes. It was a big help and honestly, flattering too. But Kagami had a feeling he only did it so he could have leverage when he was about to get his ass kicked out.

The silence made Aomine mutter, "And?"

"And what?"

"What other boyfriends shit did we do?"

Kagami let out a scoff. "We weren't boyfriends."

"Huh!? Whaddya mean we weren't boyfriends? From what you told me, it sounds like we were married!"

A laugh slipped out of Kagami's full mouth, and he had to take a drink before speaking again. "Yeah, I guess that's why our friends teased us to death. They'd constantly ask why we weren't official yet."

"That'd get under my skin so bad," At the questioning look Kagami gave him, Aomine swallowed his food and continued. "Like, you got no idea how many times I had to deal with people telling me to date Satsuki while I worked as a cop. Dude, I don't even have any romantic feelings for her and what they did only repulsed me even more. Imagine if they do that to someone I actually like."

Kagami began to catch on. Kuroko and Satsuki _did_ say they pressured Aomine quite a bit and that it might've been the reason why the man snapped the way he did, but Kagami didn't understand what on earth that meant. Maybe he was about to hear the reason why.

"Like, god, y'know when you get repeatedly told to do something you've been meaning to and you just end up... not wanting to do it? Just to spite them," Aomine licked his fingers that were covered with sauce. "Well, maybe not _spite_ them. But I'd get confused, y'know? Like, I'd probably end up overthinking and ruining everything. Bro, I even almost seriously told Satsuki to leave me the fuck alone just so my coworkers would stop telling me to date her. I even thought of just going out with someone else to get everyone off my back."

"...Oh," An imaginary light bulb flickered after Kagami listened to Aomine's explanation. Then, he started laughing so hard, he choked and had to drink some more water. "Oh my god, I can't believe that's why."

"Uhh... you're creeping me out, Bakagami. Did you lace the chicken with something?" Aomine frowned at the how Kagami doubled over, laughing until he had to hold his stomach and wipe his tears.

"Nothing, nothing. I just realised something," He laughed in a way that made Aomine's heart beat loudly. "Man, I can't believe it." So was that why Aomine kissed that girl five years ago? If everything really was just one stupid misunderstanding thanks to lack of communication, then, well. Using his clean left hand, Kagami leaned forward on the table far enough to cup Aomine's cheek and smiled.

"W-what?" Seeing the eyes full of love in front of him, Aomine turned away, his cheeks heating up.

"Be my boyfriend, then. That way no one will pressure us to be together."

"Huh!?" Aomine sputtered, but when he saw how serious Kagami was, he stopped himself from being snarky. "Uh..." He rubbed the back of his neck. This was the first time he'd seen someone looking at him with something other than exasperation and hate. He didn't know how to feel about it, but it made his stomach aflutter. "Why?"

"What the hell do you mean 'why'? Because I like you, stupid."

"Aren't you bold?" The tanned male meant to laugh mockingly, but it came out as nervous instead.

"If I don't do this, we're just gonna go in circles again. You might not remember, but I do," The redhead muttered, his confidence suddenly faltering into embarrassment as he looked away. "You don't have to answer now. I know you still don't have your memories and all."

Aomine was damn ashamed. He thought Kagami was as hotheaded as he was, but it looked like his roommate was a lot more mature than he gave him credit for. Not in a million years would Aomine think of asking Kagami out, no matter how much he wanted to kiss that stupid mouth.

The two continued eating in silence, but it wasn't an uncomfortable one. Aomine was way too distracted to hold a conversation, and Kagami was content to leave him alone with his thoughts. He waited for a few years already. Surely, he could handle a few more weeks or months.

"You know," Kagami said after they finished doing the dishes. "I'm glad you came here, Daiki."

Aomine might not remember Kagami from all those years ago, but seeing the man in front of him, he didn't think he needed to remember to fall hopelessly in love with those bright hazel eyes. "Yeah. Me too."

.

"Move over, Kurokocchi!" Kise squeezed on the large black couch between Kuroko and Satsuki, not caring that he was intruding in Satsuki's plan to make Kuroko hers. She didn't have time to complain anyway, not with Murasakibara plopping next to her, practically smushing her between two bodies. She could do nothing but squeal and whimper in protest.

Midorima dragged a dining chair and positioned it next to Takao while Riko sat on the floor behind the coffee table with Kiyoshi and Hyuuga.

"Why do you always come to my house?" Kuroko complained in that deadpan tone, but there was a tinge of amused frustration in his tone. "Kise-kun's place is far bigger and we wouldn't have to be crushed this way."

"Yours is located in a happy middle, though. Everyone else's is too far away." Kiyoshi laughed at the phantom's words. This was a ritual of sorts, whenever Kagami's team was about to play, they'd all gather at Kuroko's place to watch. Today was supposed to be a big game too, so no one wanted to miss it.

"Ooh, it's really them!" Riko grinned cheerfully when he saw the Bulls entering the court.

"And there's Aominecchi. Wow, he's really there joining the bench squad." Kise's eyes gleamed in amazement when he saw the tanned male with his signature smirk joining his teammates.

 _"And today is the first match for Number 12, isn't it? Daiki Aomine, originally from Japan. We were told that he was Taiga's high school friend."_ One of the commentators said as all the members were introduced.

_"That's right. Taiga stamps Daiki as his rival, so we should expect great things from him. But, it looks like the Bulls are content on sending their usual starters. We have number 10, the Tiger himself..."_

The commentators kept talking until the match started, where their banter soon turned into something more serious. Both teams played their best games, but the first half ended in a slight loss for the Bulls. They were six points behind, but everyone watching from behind the TV believed that they'd be able to catch up.

"Here we go. Let's see if they're gonna shoot themselves in the foot or what." Hyuuga had a nervous smile when Aomine replaced Kagami as the power forward while the redhead moved up to centre. It was the first time everyone had ever seen him taking such an important position that Kye usually occupied.

Satsuki was practically nibbling on her sweater. Aomine called her every now and then to update her on his training, but this would be the first time she saw him playing for real. Were his legs okay? Did he practice enough? Would he remember he wasn't alone on the court?

However, seeing the genuine smile on his face as when he received a pass from Kagami, Satsuki relaxed. Her eyes glimmered with tears as she watched the game. Everything would be just fine.

.

Kagami never liked bars. _Especially_ American bars. They were loud and one time, he got projectile vomited on. He also hated seeing people groping each other, but for some reason, his friends were adamant that they went to one after their victory.

It was a fancier place this time, so it was a lot less chaotic. Still, Kagami didn't like how the loudspeakers threatened to burst his eardrums. Sitting as far away as he possibly could from the dance floor, he sat on the stool by himself while he watched his friends being the social butterflies they were.

The redhead downed another shot when he saw a blue emerging from the stacks of bodies on the dance floor. He had a tired grin, an empty glass and a charming flush on his bronze skin. The guy sure could handle his alcohol. He was still standing even after challenging Clive to a drink-off, but probably not for long because he wobbled and almost tripped on the way to Kagami.

"C'mon, dance with me." Aomine put an arm around Kagami's shoulders and grinned. His breath stunk of alcohol and Kagami recoiled a little.

"Drunkard." He simply teased even though he loved seeing Aomine smiling so freely like that.

"You're the drunkard," Aomine sat on the empty stool next to Kagami and asked for a top-up. The bartender swiftly refilled his glass and put it into the team's tab. "Remember that time you chugged some beer because you thought it was carbonated apple juice?"

"That was an _accident_. I was too tired after the one-on-one and—Wait," Kagami squinted. "You remember that?" His heart thumped loudly in his chest after recalling that it happened on the first month after they moved in together in Japan.

Aomine grinned before swallowing the shot in one go, then he squeezed Kagami's cheek. "Some."

"Whaddya mean _some_?" The redhead slapped his roommate's hand away grumpily.

"I dunno, I remember parts of it." He shrugged, now his hand crawled on Kagami's thigh. When he tried to stand up and walk, he came crashing down onto Kagami who somehow managed to not fall off his stool.

"Easy!" He said with a hand on Aomine's back.

"I'm sorry," Aomine whispered, his voice slurred but gentle. He pulled away slightly, but he didn't have enough power. Instead, he turned his face and kissed Kagami's cheek. "Thanks for coming back for my stubborn ass."

"S-stupid..." The redhead choked, but he had a huge grin on his face. "We'll talk about this tomorrow when you're sober, okay?"

"Mm," Aomine mumbled into Kagami's neck. Even through the alcohol, his heart beat loudly for Kagami, for this guy who saved him twice. "I love you Taiga, you big baby."

"Tomorrow," Tears fell out of Kagami's eyes as Aomine stilled. His heart soared in his chest at the confession that he thought wouldn't come for a while longer. The bastard probably had too much to drink and was about to pass out. "Tell me that tomorrow, okay?"

The light shone brightly in the dark bar and the voice was deafening. However, it was but a muffled background noise for the two. They held each other for a while longer before slipping away from everyone else. Their teammates would complain about how their center and power forward combination that got them their victory ditched them, but they'd deal with it later.

Aomine's head fell onto Kagami's shoulder as the taxi drove off towards their apartment. It was okay like this. More than okay, it was perfect. Their fingers intertwining and their heartbeats becoming one. America sure was a good idea.

Their hearts were home at last.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THANK YOU FOR READING THIS FAR <3 I'm finally finished with this sappy little fic! I hope the ending wasn't too cheesy or underwhelming!!!! I really don't wanna pull a cliche and return his memory completely, but it's okay because they love each other anyway <3  
> (Yes I updated the rating from M to T because they didn't even french kiss smh)  
> Also the songs used in the beginning of the chapters:
> 
> Chapter 1: [Lovely](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xirk18P889U)  
> Chapter 2: [Who Knew](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJWIbIe0N90)  
> Chapter 3: [Past the Stargazing Season](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOlWu15vzyE)  
> Chapter 4: [Yubikiri Genman](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AN72_SVbETA)  
> Chapter 5: [Where We Go](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGbH4esb4Ck)  
> Chapter 6: [Please Don't Leave me](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eocCPDxKq1o)
> 
> Oh! Also, I actually mainly write smut and since this isn't smutty... like, at all, I will be writing another AoKaga soon! Theme is gonna be a camboy Kagami AU ;)


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